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Presented    by    A  .  G  .  Co» -rn 


-roTi^PVi.'D 


BV  3680  .T3  W75  1840 
Griffin,  John,  1769-1834. 
Life  of  Capt.  James  Wilson 


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CAPT.   JAMES  WILSON 


CONTAINING   AN   ACCOUNT   OF  HIS   RESIDENCE   IN    INDIA;     HIS    CON- 
VERSION  TO    CHRISTIANITY;     HIS   MISSIONARY   VOY- 
AGE   TO    THE    SOUTH    SEAS,    AND    HIS 
PEACEFUL    DEATH. 


ABRIDGED 


FROM   THE   MEMOIR    BY   REV.   JOHN  GRIFFITH. 


PHILADELPHIA: 
PRESBYTERIAN  BOARD  OF  PUBLICATION. 

WILLIAM    S.    MARTIEN,    PUBLISHING    AGENT. 

1840. 


CONTENTS. 

Parentage — Sails  for  India — Instance  of  daring 
enterprise Imprisonment Wonderful  es- 
cape— Retaken — Cruelty  of  Hyder  Ali — 
Extreme  sufferings — His  release,  and  future 
prosperity — His  return  and  settlement  in 
England, 1—23. 

His  infidel  principles — Apparent  hopelessness 
of  his  case — His  argumentative  discussion 
with  the  Rev.  Mr.  Griffin,  and  its  effects — 
Attends  church — Hears  Mr.  Griffin  preach — 
The  subject,  Predestination — Its  effect  on  his 
mind — His  conversion,   ....     23 — 84, 

He  offers  himself  to  conduct  the  Missionary 
ship  Duff,  on  her  first  voyage  to  the  South 
Seas — Account  of  his  ability  and  success  in 
the  voyage — His  return — His  Christian  cha- 
racter— His  happy  death,     .     .     .  84 — 139. 


LIFE  OF 
CAPTAIN  JAMES  WILSON. 


Captain  Wilson  is  well  known  as  the  able  and 
enterprising  conductor  of  the  first  Christian  Mis- 
sion to  the  South  Seas,  in  1796,  an  expedition 
at  that  time  novel  in  its  character,  and  altogether 
unprecedented  in  its  object.  He  commanded  the 
ship  Duff,  which  was  purchased  and  fitted  out 
at  the  expense  of  the  Missionary  Society,  for 
the  purpose  of  introducing  the  blessings  of  re- 
ligion, and  the  arts  of  civilized  life,  among  the 
remote  and  barbarous  islands  of  the  Pacific 
Ocean ;  the  destination  fixed  upon  by  the  Di- 
rectors, as  the  most  eligible  for  commencing  the 
benevolent  exertions  of  missionary  zeal. 

The  singular  prudence  and  ability  with  which 
he  discharged  that  important  trust,  not  only 
contributed  materially  to  the  success  of  the  ex- 
pedition, but  stamped  a  general  character  of 
respectability  on  the  Society;  which  speedily 
manifested  itself,  in  the  increased  confidence 
and  popularity  which  the  subject  attracted,  both 
2 


6  LIFE     OF 

at  home  and  abroad;  and  it  tended  also  to  secure 
many  favours  and  valuable  privileges,  both  from 
the  British  and  other  governments,  who  have  lent 
an  attentive  ear  to  their  official  representations, 
and  extended  the  shield  of  their  protection  over 
the  heads  of  those  adventurous  apostles  of  Chris- 
tianity, who  have  since,  under  the  patronage  of 
numerous  societies,  carried  the  message  of  sal- 
vation to  almost  every  region  of  the  habitable 
earth. 

The  life  of  Captain  Wilson  was  marked  by  a 
strange  variety  of  changes  and  misfortunes,  and 
furnishes  a  narrative,  which,  for  diversity  of 
circumstances,  affecting  incidents,  and  striking 
illustration  of  the  happy  influence  of  religious 
principles,  has  but  few  equals.  It  affords,  at 
the  same  time,  a  beautiful  and  remarkable  de- 
velopment of  those  kind  but  mysterious  opera- 
tions of  Providence,  which  often  makes  events, 
that  we  consider  adverse  or  accidental,  to  ter- 
minate in  some  wise  and  salutary  result,  and 
accomplishes  the  most  momentous  changes  in 
our  lives,  by  means  of  the  most  unpromising 
instruments.  In  the  early  period  of  his  life,  the 
perils,  imprisonments,  and  almost  incredible 
sufferings  he  endured,  throw  an  air  of  romance 
over  that  part  of  his  history,  which  makes  it  re- 
semble more  the  adventures  of  a  fabulous  hero, 
than  a  literal  detail  of  truth  and  fact.     These 


CAPT.     JAMES     WILSON.  7 

interesting  events  have  been  recorded  at  consid- 
erable length,  as  tending,  not  merely  to  gratify  a 
laudable  curiosity,  but  to  present  that  particular 
view  of  his  character,  which  it  is  our  main  ob- 
ject to  elucidate.  It  is  chiefly,  however,  after 
he  had  weathered  the  storms  of  captivity  and 
adverse  fortune,  and  retired  to  enjoy,  in  calm 
security,  the  fruits  of  his  successful  speculations 
in  commerce,  that  his  narrative  becomes  a  sub- 
ject of  importance,  by  presenting  him  as  a  con- 
vert to  the  truth  of  religion,  and  one  of  the 
earliest  and  most  distinguished  agents  in  its 
propagation  among  the  heathen. 

Captain  James  Wilson  was  born  in  1760, 
and  was  the  youngest  son  of  nineteen  children. 
His  father,  who  was  commander  of  a  ship  in  the 
Newcastle  trade,  tramed  him  from  his  earliest 
years  for  the  sea  service,  a  profession  for  which 
he  soon  discovered  an  excellent  capacity.  He 
entered  the  navy  while  quite  a  youth,  and  serv- 
ed in  the  American  war.  He  was  present  at 
Bunker's  Hill,  1775,  the  first  regular  battle  that 
was  fought  between  the  British  army  and  the 
colonists ;  and  at  Long  Island,  where  the  Amer- 
icans effected  a  dexterous  retreat,  under  cover  of 
a  thick  fog. 

On  his  return  to  Europe,  he  obtained  a  birth 
as  mate  of  an  East  Indiaman,  a  preferment  for 


8  LIFE     OP" 

which  his  nautical  experience  sufficiently  quali» 
fied  him.  On  their  arrival  at  Bengal,  he  quitted 
his  ship  and  engaged  in  the  service  of  the 
country.  His  bold  and  seaman-like  conduct, 
speedily  procured  him  both  friends  and  promo- 
tion. He  was  employed  as  the  bearer  of  dis- 
patches to  the  Nicobar  Islands ;  to  advertise  the 
ships  returning  from  the  East,  of  the  arrival  of 
the  French  squadron,  under  Suffrein,  on  the 
coast;  but,  from  the  leaky  state  of  his  small 
vessel,  he  was  obliged  to  put  about  for  Madras  ; 
and  "when  off  Pulicat,  where  he  discovered 
the  French  fleet,  he  was  under  the  necessity 
of  running  her  on  the  beach  to  save  their 
lives. 

When  he  reached  Madras,  the  British  troops 
in  that  settlement,  under  Sir  Eyre  Coote,  were 
in  the  greatest  distress,  and  in  danger  of  starva- 
tion ;  their  stores  being  nearly  exhausted,  and 
all  supplies  by  sea  cut  off  by  the  French  squad- 
ron, then  at  anchor  at  Pondicherry,  while  the 
army  of  Hyder  Ali  intercepted  their  provisions 
by  land.  Several  ships,  laden  with  rice,  were 
lying  ready  for  their  relief,  but  the  enemy's 
fleet  being  directly  in  the  way,  they  durst  not 
attempt  the  passage.  The  Governor  of  Madras, 
apprised  of  Mr.  Wilson's  courage  and  dexterity, 
offered  him  four  hundred  pagodas  if  he  would 
undertake  to  carry  down  the  ships  with  supplies 


CAPT.    JAMES     WILSON.  9 

for  the  troops  to  Cuddalore,  near  which  Sir 
Eyre  Coote  was  encamped. 

This  hazardous  service  he  engaged  to  per- 
form ;  and  embarking  immediately  with  four 
vessels  under  his  command,  all  navigated  by 
Hindoos,  without  a  single  European  on  board, 
except  himself,  and  a  military  officer  on  his  pas- 
sage to  the  army,  he  proceeded,  with  sufficient 
caution  to  conduct  the  long  expected  stores  to- 
wards their  destination.  By  a  piece  of  singular 
good  fortune,  he  passed  the  French  fleet  near 
Pondicherry,  in  the  offing,  at  such  a  distance  as 
not  to  be  discovered,  at  the  moment  when  they 
were  occupied  in  repairing  their  water  casks, 
which  had  been  staved,  while  lying  on  shore  to 
be  filled,  by  a  party  of  the  British  grenadiers. 
This  providential  escape  enabled  him  to  bring 
in  the  whole  of  the  cargoes  entrusted  to  his  con- 
voy, which  proved  a  most  seasonable  relief  to 
the  army,  already  reduced  to  extreme  necessity, 
and  threatened  with  impending  famine.  For 
this  fortunate  adventure,  which  produced  him 
nearly  ^1000,  he  received  the  most  cordial  ac- 
knowledgments of  the  General,  who  invited 
him  next  day  to  dine  with  his  staff,  and  placed 
him  at  his  right  hand,  in  testimony  of  the  high 
value  he  set  upon  his  services. 

He  continued,  for  some  time,  to  be  employed 
in  carrying  down  supplies,  without  meeting 
2* 


10  LIFE    OF 

with  any  thing  in  these  voyages  particularly  in- 
teresting. On  one  of  these  occasions,  however, 
while  conveying  a  valuable  cargo  of  military 
stores  for  Sir  Edward  Hughes,  whose  ammuni- 
tion had  been  exhausted  in  a  late  engagement 
with  the  enemy,  under  Suffrein,  he  was  unfor- 
tunately captured  by  the  French;  and  carried 
prisoner  to  Cuddalore,  which  had  lately  fallen 
into  their  hands.  Here  he  found  the  officers 
and  crew  of  the  Hannibal  doomed  to  the  same 
captivity.  At  first  the  officers  were  permitted 
to  be  at  large  on  parole,  and  entertained  hopes 
of  being  shortly  exchanged  ;  but  these  expecta- 
tions were  sadly  disappointed. 

Hyder  Ali,  who  had  overrun  and  desolated  a 
great  part  of  the  Carnatic,  and  hoped,  with  the 
assistance  of  the  French,  to  expel  the  British 
from  the  whole  of  that  territory,  was  then  using 
every  effort  to  get  English  prisoners  into  his 
hands;  in  order  to  tempt  them  into  his  ranks, 
either  by  bribery,  or  the  tortures  of  a  lingering 
death.  Suffrein  was  prevailed  upon,  by  an  offer 
of  300,000  rupees,  to  deliver  up  to  him  all  his 
prisoners  at  Cuddalore,  though  the  greatest  in- 
dignation was  testified  by  the  commander  and 
officers  of  the  fort  at  this  infamous  bargain.  All 
the  captives  on  parole  were  accordingly  ordered 
to  be  surrendered,  without  delay,  to  the  escort 
appointed  to  carry  them  next  day  to  Seringapa- 


CAPT.     JAMES     WILSON.  11 

tarn,  there  to  join  the  standard,  or  be  exposed 
to  the  brutal  cruelty  of  the  Hindoo  conqueror. 

No  sooner  was  this  intelligence  communicated 
to  Captain  Wilson,  than  he  determined  that  very 
night,  if  possible,  to  efTect  his  escape;  although 
no  other  alternative  remained,  than  dropping 
from  the  rampart  into  the  river  that  ran  at  the 
foot  of  the  walls,  in  hopes  of  making  his  way 
across  the  country,  to  some  neutral  settlement, 
before  he  should  be  discovered.  He  intimated 
his  design  to  a  brother  officer,  and  his  own  ser- 
vant, a  Bengalese  boy,  who  both  resolved  to 
accompany  him  in  his  flight.  They  had  con- 
certed to  meet  on  the  ramparts  as  it  grew  dark, 
before  the  guard  was  set,  and  silently  drop 
down  from  the  battlement ;  but  ere  the  hour 
arrived,  his  companion's  heart  failed  him.  The 
captain,  with  his  boy,  stole  unperceived  to  the 
spot,  and  as  not  a  moment  was  to  be  lost,  he 
leaped  down  from  a  height  of  about  forty  feet, 
and  fortunately  pitched  on  his  legs:  but  the 
shock  of  so  great  a  descent  made  his  chin  strike 
against  his  knees,  with  such  violence,  that  he 
tumbled  headlong  into  the  river.  Upon  reco- 
vering himself,  he  returned  instantly  to  the  foot 
of  the  wall,  and  caught  the  boy,  who  dropped 
from  the  same  height,  safe  into  his  arms. 

All  that  part  of  the  Tanjore  country  is  low, 
and  intersected   by  rivers  branching  from  the 


12  LIFE     OF 

great  Coleroon,  some  of  which  are  very  wide, 
and  dangerous  from  tlie  rapidity  of  the  tides. 
These  obstacles,  however,  embarrassing  as  they 
were,  it  was  necessary  to  encounter.  As  their 
hopes  of  safety  depended  mainly  on  the  dis- 
tance they  could  reach  before  the  morning  light, 
he  pushed  resolutely  forward ;  and  taking  the 
boy  on  his  back,  as  he  could  not  swim,  he  cross- 
ed three  arms  of  the  river,  directing  his  course 
towards  Porto  Nuovo,  about  four  leagues  and  a 
half  distant.  Near  this  place,  they  were  chal- 
lenged by  a  sentinel,  whose  inquiries  they  for- 
tunately eluded  by  concealing  themselves.  The 
river  here  was  very  broad,  and  greatly  agitated 
by  the  tide.  Taking  the  boy  again  on  his  back 
he  plunged  in,  but  after  they  had  advanced  a 
considerable  way,  the  boy  became  so  terrified 
in  the  midst  of  the  breakers,  that  the  captain 
was  compelled  to  return  and  put  him  ashore, 
otherwise  they  must  have  inevitably  perished 
together.  After  directing  him  to  a  place  of  se- 
curity, he  plunged  again  into  the  waves ;  but 
the  tide  running  in  so  strong,  he  found  it  im- 
possible, with  all  his  efforts,  to  gain  the  oppo- 
site side,  and  was  glad  to  turn  back,  after  being 
carried  to  a  considerable  distance  up  the  stream 
by  the  impetuosity  of  the  current. 

Here  he  providentially  discovered  on  the  dry 
beach,  a  canoe,  which  he  instantly  seized,  and 


CAPT.    JAMES     WILSON.  13 

was  preparing  to  launch,  when  two  Indians 
rushed  upon  him,  demanding  to  know  whither 
he  was  going,  and  what  his  intentions  were. 
Seizing  the  outrigger  of  the  boat,  as  his  only- 
weapon  of  defence,  he  told  them,  in  a  determi- 
ned tone,  that  he  had  lost  his  way,  and  was 
proceeding  to  Tranquebar,  where  he  had  urgent 
business  that  required  instant  despatch.  Over- 
awed by  his  stern  and  undaunted  air,  the  two 
black  assailants  laid  down  their  paddles,  and 
when  he  had  drawn  the  canoe  to  the  river,  they 
peaceably  rowed  him  across.  He  continued  his 
route,  favoured  by  moonlight,  and  after  travel- 
ling several  leagues,  he  reached  the  Coleroon 
before  day-break,  much  exhausted  with  anxiety 
and  fatigue. 

The  width  of  this  mighty  river,  the  parent  of 
all  the  others  he  had  crossed,  caused  a  momen- 
tary dismay  and  hesitation,  as  he  stood  friend- 
less and  solitary  on  its  sandy  brink.  But  the 
approach  of  morning,  and  the  perils  of  delay, 
dissipated  his  reluctant  timidity,  and  casting 
himself  into  the  flood,  after  long  struggling,  and 
almost  in  a  state  of  insensibility,  he  reached 
the  land  before  sunrise.  He  now  congratulated 
himself  that  all  his  dangers  were  past,  and  his 
liberty  secured  ;  but  these  flattering  expectations 
proved  only  the  harbingers  of  new  and  more 
afflicting  calamities. 


14  LIF£    OF 

Upon  ascending  a  sand-bank,  to  look  around 
him,  he  was  immediately  discovered  by  a  party 
of  Hyder's  cavalry,  scouring  the  coast.  Unable 
to  fly  or  resist,  he  was  seized  in  a  moment,  and 
stripped  naked,  his  hands  tied  behind  his  back; 
and  in  this  situation  he  was  driven  before  them 
several  miles  to  head-quarters,  under  a  burning 
sun,  and  covered  with  blisters  ;  having  travelled, 
as  he  supposed,  since  he  quitted  his  prison, 
more  than  forty  miles,  besides  all  the  rivers  he 
had  crossed.  The  officer  there,  who  was  a 
Mahometan,  and  one  of  Hyder's  chieftains,  in- 
terrogated Wilson  sternly,  whence  he  came,  and 
whither  he  was  going?  The  prisoner  gave  him 
an  ingenuous  account  of  his  escape  from  Cudda- 
lore,  and  the  reasons  for  it,  with  all  the  circum- 
stances attending  his  flight.  The  officer  regarded 
him  at  first  as  an  impostor,  and  could  not  credit 
his  narrative ;  telling  him  that  no  man  ever  yet 
passed  the  Coleroon  by  swimming,  or  could 
possibly  escape  the  alligators.  But  being  as- 
sured of  the  fact  by  evidence  he  could  no  longer 
doubt,  his  indignation  changed  into  reverence, 
and  he  began  to  look  upon  him  as  a  being  of 
some  superior  order. 

From  this  place  he  was  marched  back,  naked 
and  half  famished  as  he  was,  to  his  former  pri- 
son ;  and,  as  an  additional  punishment  for  his 
flight,  he    was  refused  permission  to  join  his 


CAPT.     JAMES     WILSON.  15 

fellow  officers,  and  thrust  into  a  dungeon  among 
the  meanest  captives.  Next  day  he  was  brought 
out,  chained  to  a  common  soldier,  and,  in  that 
deplorable  condition,  in  a  burning  climate,  or- 
dered to  march  on  foot  to  Seringapatam,  nearly 
five  hundred  miles  distant.  His  companions, 
though  unable  to  procure  him  any  redress,  ex- 
pressed their  concern  by  endeavouring  to  alle- 
viate his  miseries,  and  supplying  him  with 
clothes  and  other  necessaries  for  his  long  and 
toilsome  journey.  But  the  avarice  of  his  brutal 
conductors  soon  deprived  him  of  these  slender 
accommodations;  for  no  sooner  had  they  reach- 
ed the  first  halting  place,  than  they  again  stripped 
him  to  the  skin,  and  left  him  once  more  exposed 
to  the  rays  of  a  vertical  sun. 

They  added  insult  to  cruelty;  and  after  goad- 
ing him  on  all  day,  at  night  they  thrust  him, 
still  chained  to  his  fellow-sufflerer,  into  a  damp, 
unwholesome  prison,  crowded  with  other  mise- 
rable objects.  In  various  villages  through  which 
they  passed,  he  was  exhibited  to  the  country 
people  as  an  object  of  curiosity,  many  of  them 
having  never  before  seen  a  white  man.  There 
he  was  compelled  to  present  himself  in  all  pos- 
sible positions,  and  to  display  all  the  gestures 
of  which  he  was  capable,  that  his  mercenary 
keepers  might  obtain  money  at  the  expense  of 
their  captive. 


16  LIFE     OF 

On  their  way,  he,  with  other  prisoners,  were 
brought  into  Hyder's  presence,  wlio  strongly 
urged  them,  as  the  only  means  of  regaining  their 
liberty,  to  enlist  in  his  service,  and  profess  his 
religion ;  which  some  of  them  were  induced  to 
do,  to  escape  from  the  horrible  barbarities  they 
had  suffered.  But  Captain  Wilson,  though  a 
stranger  to  any  nobler  principles  than  those  of 
honour,  rejected  this  offer  with  disdain,  and 
resolved  to  encounter  death  with  all  its  horrors, 
rather  than  desert  his  country,  or  exchange  the 
creed  of  the  Christian,  for  that  of  Mahomet; 
although,  as  a  matter  of  faith,  he  probably  re- 
garded all  religions  with  equal  indifference. 

Jn  consequence  of  this  inhuman  treatment, 
and  the  forlorn  state  to  which  he  was  reduced, 
from  the  want  of  food  and  clothing,  his  health 
had  begun  to  sink  under  such  a  complication  of 
severities.  He  reached  Seringapatam,  however, 
greatly  weakened  by  disease;  his  limbs  corro- 
ded with  the  irons,  his  body  covered  with  sores, 
and  emaciated  with  dysentery,  which  had  at- 
tacked him  in  addition  to  the  rest  of  his  afflic- 
tions. Here  a  new  series  of  calamities,  and 
more  aggravated  wretchedness  awaited  him,  for 
he  was  thrust,  without  food  or  medicine,  into  a 
noisome  dungeon;  and  cooped  up  with  one 
hundred  and  fifty-three  fellow-sufferers,  who 
were   chiefly  prisoners  of  Colonel    Macleod's 


CAPT.     JAMES     WILSON.  17 

Highland  regiment.  He  was  loaded  with  the 
very  irons  which  Colonel  Baillie  had  worn,  of 
thirty-two  pounds  weight;  and  kept  chained  to 
a  common  soldier  night  and  day.  This  extra- 
ordinary rigour  was  inflicted  as  a  punishment  for 
his  daring  to  escape,  as  well  as  for  his  rejecting 
the  tempting  offers  of  Hyder's  friendship;  for 
the  other  officers,  among  whom  was  General 
Sir  David  Baird,  who  afterwards  avenged  their 
wrongs  by  storming  this  very  city,  were  permit- 
ted to  be  at  large. 

In  this  horrible  captivity  he  remained  two- 
and-tvventy  months,  of  unvaried  and  inexpres- 
sible misery.  The  place  of  confinement  allotted 
to  the  common  soldiers,  was  a  kind  of  area  or 
square,  covered  above,  but  exposed  on  all  sides 
to  the  wind  and  rain.  Thus,  without  any  bed 
but  the  earth,  or  covering  except  the  rags  wrap- 
ped round  him,  he  continued,  fastened  to  his 
wretched  companion,  and  suffering  the  extre- 
mity of  disease  and  privation.  Their  whole 
allowance  was  only  a  pound  of  rice  a  day  for 
each  man,  which  they  had  to  cook  for  them- 
selves. This  scanty  portion,  which  was  often 
of  bad  quality,  was  scarcely  sufficient  to  sus- 
tain life,  much  less  to  appease  the  cravings  of 
raging  hunger;  and  they  were  compelled  to  the 
disaureeable  resource,  in  order  to  make  up  the 
deficiency,  of  collecting  and  frying  the  white 
3 


18  LIFE     OF 

ants,  which  pestered  them  in  their  prison.  The 
rice  was  brought  in,  not  in  separate  rations,  but 
in  a  large  basin ;  and,  in  order  to  secure  an  im- 
partial distribution,  and  prevent  any  from  taking 
more  than  their  share,  they  provided  themselves 
with  a  small  piece  of  wood,  rudely  formed  into 
a  spoon,  which  no  one  was  suffered  to  use  but 
in  his  regular  turn. 

Such  unexampled  misery  was  more  than  the 
human  constitution  could  bear.  The  hardy 
and  athletic  Highlanders  fell  among  the  first 
victims.  Dropsy  and  flux  were  making  daily 
inroads  into  this  melancholy  group  of  sufferers, 
and  rapidly  diminishing  their  numbers.  How 
Captain  Wilson  escaped,  is  truly  astonishing. 
Often  was  the  dead  corpse  unchained  from  his 
arm  in  the  morning,  that  another  living  victim 
might  take  its  place,  and  fall  by  the  same  dis- 
ease. Yet  he  himself  recovered  from  the  attack 
which  he  had  when  first  carried  into  prison, 
and  for  more  than  a  year  maintained  a  tolerable 
state  of  health. 

Before  his  captivity  expired,  however,  he 
was  seized  with  the  usual  symptoms,  and  felt 
the  effects  of  the  disorder  that  had  carried  off  so 
many  others.  His  body  and  legs  swelled  ex- 
ceedingly, so  that  his  chains  were  too  strait  to 
be  endured  :  his  face  became  livid  and  bloated, 
and  every  appearance  seemed  to  indicate  the 


CAPT.     JAMES     WILSON.  19 

moment  of  his  dissolution  to  be  at  hand.  And 
when  his  circumstances  are  considered,  ex- 
hausted with  famine  and  disease,  breathing 
the  infected  vapours  of  a  prison,  and  bearing  a 
weight  of  iron,  cankering  and  consuming  his 
flesh,  it  seems  next  to  a  miracle  that  he  could 
ever  have  recovered  or  survived.  A  singular 
incident,  however,  whether  by  design  or  acci- 
dent, is  not  said,  proved  the  means  of  unex- 
pected and  instantaneous  relief.  He  happened 
one  day  to  exchange  his  usual  allowance  of  rice 
for  a  small  species  of  grain,  called  ratche  pier, 
which  he  eagerly  devoured,  and  being  very 
thirsty,  he  drank  the  liquor  in  which  it  was 
boiled ;  and  such  was  the  effect  of  this  diet, 
that,  in  a  very  short  time,  his  body  was  reduced 
almost  to  a  skeleton ;  and  though  greatly  weak- 
ened, he  felt  completely  relieved.  The  same 
remedy  was  recommended  to  others,  and  tried 
with  great  success  by  many  of  his  fellow-pri- 
soners. 

By  this  time  the  ravages  of  death  had  greatly 
thinned  their  numbers,  and  it  is  probable  the 
few  that  remained,  the  living  monuments  of  All's 
cruelly,  would  not  have  struggled  much  longer 
with  their  miseries,  had  not  the  victories  of  Sir 
Eyre  Coote  happily  compelled  the  barbarian 
to  submit ;  and  extorted  from  him  as  one  of  the 
conditions  of  peace,  the  release  of  all  the  Bri- 


20  LIFE    OF 

tish  captives.  At  this  announcement,  the  prison 
doors  flew  open,  when  a  scene  of  inexpressible 
wretchedness  presented  itself.  Of  one  hundred 
and  fifty-three  brave  men,  only  thirty-two  re- 
mained, in  a  state  of  disease  and  emaciation, 
that  told  too  plainly  the  dismal  history  of  their 
suflferings.  Their  humane  and  compassionate 
deliverer,  Mr.  Law,  son  to  the  Bishop  of  Car- 
lisle, immediately  provided  them  with  food  and 
clothes,  and  dressings  for  their  wounds ;  but 
the  kindness  of  their  friends  had  nearly  proved, 
to  some  of  them,  as  fatal  as  the  cruelties  of  their 
oppressors.  Though  cautioned  against  the  dan- 
gers of  excess  and  repletion,  their  ravenous  ap- 
petites could  not  be  restrained ;  and  they  de- 
voured their  meat  with  such  voracity,  as  com- 
pletely to  surcharge  the  weakened  and  exhausted 
powers  of  nature. 

Of  this  number.  Captain  Wilson  was  one. 
After  devouring,  with  too  great  avidity,  a  large 
piece  of  beef,  he  was  almost  instantaneously 
seized  with  a  violent  fever,  became  delirious, 
and  for  a  fortnight  his  life  was  despaired  of. 
His  constitution,  which  had  resisted  more  than 
human  nature  seemed  capable  of  enduring,  sus- 
tained, in  the  moment  of  liberty  and  abundance, 
a  severer  shock  than  it  had  yet  received,  from 
the  complicated  infliction  of  fetters  and  famine. 
But  in  the  councils  of  Supreme  Wisdom,  it  was 


^  CAPT.JAMESWILSON.  21 

determined  that  he  should  not  thus  perish;  for 
He  wlio  had  watched  over  him  in  prisons,  and 
in  perils  by  sea,  restored  his  understanding,  and 
brought  him  once  more  back  from  the  gales  of 
death ;  though  as  yet  he  acknowledged  not  the 
hand  of  his  deliverer,  nor  expressed  one  sen- 
timent of  thankfulness,  in  gratitude  to  his  bene- 
factor. 

A  supply  of  clothes  had  been  humanely  for- 
warded to  the  destitute  captives,  by  Lord  Ma- 
cartney; but  there  not  being  a  sufficiency  for  all, 
some  had  one  thing,  some  another.  To  Cap- 
tain Wilson's  share,  a  very  large  military  hat 
fell,  with  a  banian  and  pantaloons,  very  much  out 
of  repair.  As  soon  as  he  was  capable  of  under- 
going the  fatigues  of  the  journey,  he  joined 
some  others  of  his  countrymen,  and  proceeded 
to  Madras.  Here  he  was  received  and  wel- 
comed in  the  kindest  manner,  by  his  former 
friends,  who  were  not  a  little  astonished  at  the 
grotesque  figure  he  cut  in  his  tattered  and  motley 
habiliments ;  which,  added  to  his  meagre  per- 
son, made  him  very  much  resemble  a  maniac. 
Their  hospitable  treatment  soon  restored  him  to 
his  wonted  strength  and  spirits  ;  and  he  began 
to  think  of  entering  again  on  service,  as  he  had 
yet  obtained  but  a  very  scanty  provision.  Ac- 
cordingly, he  made  a  voyage  to  Bencoolen  and 
Batavia,  as  first  mate  of  the  Intelligence.  Ben- 
3* 


22  LIFE     OF  «( 

coolen  is  a  most  unhealthy  place,  and  few  who 
visit  it  escape  without  the  putrid  fever.  On 
this  occasion,  there  was  a  very  great  mortality 
among  the  crew  of  the  Intelligence;  every  Eu- 
ropean on  board,  except  Captain  Wilson,  having 
died  before  they  left  Puley  Bay.  A  recruit  of 
black  men  were  taken  in  to  navigate  the  vessel, 
and  after  visiting  Batavia,  they  returned  to  Ben- 
gal. This  proved  to  Captain  Wilson  a  very  pro- 
fitable voyage,  though  his  health  had  suffered 
materially. 

In  this  manner  he  continued,  for  a  year  and  a 
half,  to  improve  his  fortune ;  and  became  him- 
self the  commander,  as  well  as  a  sharer  in  the 
vessel.  By  one  of  those  mercantile  specula- 
tions, the  success  of  which  seems  often  to  be 
determined  by  the  most  trifling  circumstances, 
he  rose  at  once  to  prosperity  and  independence. 
Taking  advantage  of  a  sudden  and  unexpected 
turn  of  the  wind,  he  got  the  start  of  all  the 
other  merchantmen  bound  for  the  same  port, 
and  finding  the  markets  very  much  in  want  of 
the  articles  with  which  he  was  freighted,  he  ob- 
tained his  own  price  for  the  greater  part  of  his 
goods,  as  there  was  no  competitor  to  contend 
with  him.  Thus  in  one  month,  and  by  a  sin- 
gular occurrence  in  his  favour,  he  realized  a  sum 
sufficient  to  induce  him  to  retire  from  business, 


CAPT.     JAMESWILSON.  23 

and  exchange  the  toils  and  hazards  of  the  sea, 
for  the  comforts  of  domestic  society. 

With  this  view  he  embarked,  in  1794,  as  a 
passenger  in  a  ship  that  was  returning  from 
Bengal  to  England.  On  the  voyage,  he  had 
frequent  disputes  about  religion  with  a  Baptist 
missionary  on  board,  who  was  greatly  scanda- 
lized at  his  infidel  principles,  as  well  as  his 
careless  conduct ;  and  used  to  observe,  that  he 
should  have  more  hope  of  converting  the  Las- 
cars to  Christianity,  than  Captain  Wilson.  On 
arriving  in  safety  at  Portsmouth,  he  immedi- 
ately began  to  look  about  him  for  an  agreeable 
abode,  in  which  he  might  repair  his  shattered 
health,  and  enjoy  the  fruits  of  his  fortunate  en- 
terprise. He  soon  discovered  a  place  to  his 
mind  at  Horndean,  in  Hampshire.  This  he  pur- 
chased :  and  set  himself  down  contented,  antici- 
pating much  happiness  from  the  sports  of  the 
country,  and  the  fashionable  society  in  the  neigh- 
bourhood. Being  unmarried,  he  found  it  ne- 
cessary to  have  a  proper  person  to  manage  his 
household  economy.  This  duty  he  devolved 
upon  his  niece,  a  prudent  and  agreeable  person, 
and  one  whose  sentiments  were  imbued  with 
true  piety. 

Here  he  lived  nearly  two  years,  decent  and 
sober  in  his  conduct,  but  careless  and  uncon- 
cerned about  religion,  and  an  utter  stranger  to 


24 


LIFE     OF 


its  principles  and  its  power.  During  all  the 
perils  and  sufferings  he  had  undergone,  his 
heart  appears  to  have  remained  as  insensible  as 
the  nether  millstone  to  any  thing  like  feelings 
of  gratitude  or  devotion.  No  humiliation,  no 
prayer,  no  sense  of  sin,  no  recourse  to  the  blood 
of  a  Redeemer,  no  regard  for  the  future  welfare 
of  his  soul,  ever  seems  to  have  entered  his 
thoughts,  or  alarmed  his  conscience.  He  came 
out  of  the  furnace  as  hardened  and  impenitent 
as  ever — his  principles  unchanged,  and  the 
obduracy  of  his  heart  not  softened  with  the 
tears  of  repentance,  nor  melted  down  into  godly 
sorrow. 

His  mercies  had  no  better  effect  than  his 
chastisements  and  afflictions.  He  returned  to 
life  and  health  with  tiie  same  callous  propensi- 
ties, the  same  stubborn  nature,  the  same  forget- 
fulness  of  God,  and  the  same  insensibility  to 
those  manifestations  of  divine  care,  that  had  in 
such  a  wonderful  manner  led  him  by  a  way 
which  he  knew  not — preserved  him  in  deaths 
oft — in  hunger,  and  thirst,  and  nakedness — in 
journeyings  and  in  prisons — in  perils  of  waters, 
in  perils  in  the  wilderness,  in  perils  by  the 
heathen  ;  and  after  all  tliese  dangers,  crowned 
his  labours  with  uncommon  success,  by  means 
which  appeared  almost  miraculous.  But  the 
plans  of  Omniscience  are  inscrutable ;  and  while 


CAPT.     JAMES     WILSON.  25 

they  are  directed  by  infinite  wisdom,  they  are 
also  characterized  by  benevolence.  His  Divine 
Master,  who  had  chosen  him  from  the  beginning 
to  be  the  herald  of  his  cross,  and  to  carry  the 
message  of  eternal  life  to  the  neglected  solitudes 
of  the  Indian  Ocean,  bore  with  him  in  his  igno- 
rance and  rebellion,  and  was  gradually  preparing 
him,  by  a  series  of  providences,  for  that  peculiar 
work,  in  which  he  afterwards  embarked  with  so 
noble  and  disinterested  a  zeal. 

Captain  Wilson's  infidelity  may  be  ascribed 
mainly  to  two  causes  ;  the  want  of  an  early  and 
scriptural  acquaintance  with  religion  and  his 
residence  for  so  many  years  in  India:  a  country 
which  has  proved  fatal  to  the  principles  of  many 
Europeans;  who,  making  wealth  the  sole  object 
of  their  worship,  prostrate  their  hearts  before 
the  shrine  of  this  golden  image,  with  a  more 
unhallowed  devotion,  than  if  they  bent  the  knee 
in  the  chambers  of  Asiatic  idolatry.  His  mind 
had  been  rendered  completely  callous,  by  the 
events  and  occupations  of  his  life ;  and  this 
baleful  influence  had  darkened  down  upon  his 
faculties,  so  as  to  obliterate  any  remains  of  re- 
ligion, and  all  sense  of  God's  moral  government 
among  men. 

Like  all  other  disciples  of  Deism,  he  enter- 
tained lofty  conceptions  of  human  nature,  and 
was  deeply  imbued  with  a  self-complacent  ad- 


26  LIFE     OF 

miration  of  his  own  goodness.  He  considered 
that  lie  had  so  conducted  himself  as  to  merit  the 
congratulations  of  the  world,  and  had  done  no- 
tliing  he  could  reproach  himself  with,  as  unjust 
to  his  neighbour  or  ojETensive  in  the  eye  of  God. 
He  had  even,  in  some  instances,  behaved  with 
a  generosity  that  he  thought  could  not  fail  to 
secure  for  hirn  the  divine  approbation ;  and 
when  compared  with  others  of  his  countrymen 
in  that  part  of  the  world,  he  flattered  himself  he 
ouffht  rather  to  be  celebrated  as  a  man  of  exalted 
virtue,  than  regarded  as  an  unbeliever,  or  a 
sinner.  He  was  conscious  of  the  goodness  of 
his  heart  and  the  general  integrity  of  his  ac- 
tions, and  therefore  saw  no  reason  to  embitter 
his  present  enjoyments  with  disagreeable  or 
alarming  reflections.  Besides,  his  many  won- 
derful escapes,  his  singular  preservations,  and 
above  all,  his  success  in  his  mercantile  engage- 
ments, which  had  raised  him  to  affluence,  after 
being  stripped  of  all  he  possessed,  led  him 
proudly  to  imagine  that  he  was  not  only  a  child 
of  fortune,  but  in  special  favour  with  the  Deity. 
•  He  had,  while  in  the  prime  of  life,  obtained 
an  easy  competency,  returned  home  with  a  con- 
stitution unsubdued  by  an  eastern  climate,  pos- 
sessed a  cheerful  mind,  which  fitted  him  for 
company,  and  for  what  the  world  calls  a 
man  of  fashion ;  it  was  time,  therefore,  he  con- 


CAPT.     JAMES     WILSON.  27 

ceived,  to  enjoy  himself,  and  to  adopt  the  maxim 
of  the  rich  mail  in  the  gospel,  "  Eat,  drink,  and 
be  merry,  for  thou  hast  goods  laid  up  for  many 
years."  In  this  state  of  tranquillity  and  easy 
indifference,  he  felt  no  desire  to  investigate  the 
evidences  of  religion,  or  have  his  repose  broken 
in  upon  by  considerations  about  the  moral  go- 
vernment of  the  world — the  method  of  man's 
acceptance  with  God,  or  the  final  retribution 
to  be  awarded  hereafter  to  the  righteous  and  the 
wicked. 

It  is  difficult,  indeed,  to  imagine  almost  any 
thing  more  unlikely,  than  that  the  subjects  of  re- 
velation should  engage,  or  interest  a  mind  so 
wrapt  up  in  the  flattering  opinions  of  superior 
worth,  and  the  romantic  schemes  of  earthly 
happiness.  The  objections  must  have  appeared 
to  him  numerous  and  formidable,  against  re- 
ceiving a  book  as  a  revelation  from  God,  the 
design  of  which  was  to  teach  him  that  his  heart 
was  deeply  depraved — that  he  had  been  a  rebel 
through  life  against  his  Maker — that  he  had  in- 
curred his  displeasure,  and  must  expect  pardon 
and  happiness  solely  through  the  unmerited 
mercy  of  him  he  had  offended.  These  senti- 
ments, however,  humiliating  and  repugnant  as 
they  were  to  his  present  system,  he  came  at 
length  to  adopt. 

The  conversations  and  exemplary  conduct  of 


28  LIFE     OF 

his  niece,  had  no  small  share  in  diffusing  this 
preparatory  influence  over  his  mind ;  though  he 
regarded  her  anxiety  about  religious  ordinances, 
as  a  weakness,  or  a  needless  scrupulosity  of 
conscience ;  and  her  aversion  to  mingle  in  fash- 
ionable society,  he  mistook  for  a  morose  con- 
tempt of  innocent  gaieties  and  social  amusement. 
He  was  favoured  also  with  the  acquaintance  and 
friendship  of  Captain  Sims,  a  gentleman  who 
had  retired  from  the  active  duties  of  his  profes- 
sion, upon  a  respectable  competency,  and  was 
residing  in  the  immediate  neighbourhood.  Cap- 
tain Sims  was  then  advanced  in  life,  but  he  had 
for  many  years  regularly  attended  divine  wor- 
ship, and  professed  a  zealous  attachment  to  the 
principles  of  vital  religion.  He  had  frequently 
introduced  the  subject  to  Captain  Wilson,  re- 
presenting to  him  the  dangers  of  infidelity,  and 
endeavouring  to  impress  his  mind  with  a  con- 
viction of  the  truth  of  a  divine  revelation:  but 
though  a  confirmed  believer  himself,  he  was 
belter  acquainted  with  the  interior  of  religion, 
than  qualified  to  defend  its  outworks.  He  had 
studied  the  Scriptures  with  great  care,  but  had 
employed  his  mind  about  the  general  evidences 
of  Christianity  too  little,  to  meet  the  sophistical 
reasonings  of  his  sceptical  companion. 

The  Indian  Captain  proudly  defied  the  artil- 
lery of  his  heavy  denunciations   against  unbe- 


CAPT.     JAMES     WILSON.  29 

lievers,  and  smiled  at  his  entreating  him  to 
abandon  the  ranks  of  scepticism,  in  which  he 
had  enrolled  himself,  and  to  join  in  affinity  and 
allegiance  with  the  orthodox  party.  Citations 
from  Scripture,  to  prove  that  his  principles  were 
wrong,  with  him  had  no  authority,  because  he 
disbelieved  them;  and  demanded  better  evidence 
than  mere  assertion,  that  the  Bible  was  really 
the  word  of  God.  He  found  it  easy,  therefore, 
to  obtain  a  temporary  victory  over  his  friend, 
and  to  foil  a  less  dexterous  combatant,  who  was 
sincere  in  his  profession,  but  unskilful  in  the 
use  of  his  weapons. 

Captain  Sims,  unable  to  defend  himself 
against  the  spiritual  attacks  of  his  ingenious 
antagonist,  wisely  withdrew  from  the  field,  but 
left,  as  a  substitute,  a  book,  written  by  the  late 
General  Burn,  entitled,  "The  Christian  Offi- 
cer's Complete  Armour;"  being  a  dialogue  be- 
tween a  captain  a]\d  a  major,  on  the  evidences 
of  revelation.  Of  this  treatise,  Captain  Wilson 
read  only  the  title  page,  and  finding  that  it  rela- 
ted to  the  defence  of  Christianity,  he  returned 
it,  after  having  kept  it  carelessly  by  him  for  a 
few  weeks. 

These  conversations  and  discussions,  how- 
ever unprofitable  at  the  time,  were  not  without 
their  good  effects.  Occasionally,  and  at  inter- 
vals, transient  convictions  would  strike  his  con- 
4 


30  LIFE     OF 

science,  like  the  flashes  of  lightning  that  cross 
the  path  of  the  benighted  traveller.  He  would 
sometimes  indulge  the  reflection,  that  if  Chris- 
tianity were  from  God,  his  plan  of  life  was  alto- 
gether wrong,  his  estimate  of  himself  erroneous, 
and  his  hopes  of  future  happiness  fallacious. 
Yet  though  his  judgment  might  suggest  llie 
propriety  of  a  candid  investigation  of  the  sub- 
ject, his  heart  rose  with  indignant  opposition, 
against  sentiments  which  were  at  variance  with 
the  system  of  his  whole  life. 

It  happened  that  Captain  Sims  had  invited 
the  minister  of  the  chapel  at  Portsea,  (the  Rev. 
J.  Griffin,)  where  he  attended  divine  worship, 
to  spend  a  few  days  with  him  in  the  country. 
During  this  short  visit,  he  was  introduced  to 
Captain  Wilson,  and  this  seemingly  accidental 
circumstance,  not  only  proved  the  happy  means 
of  his  conversion,  but  laid  the  foundation  of  a 
cordial  attachment  between  them,  that  was  only 
broken  off  by  death.  At  one  of  their  dinner 
parties,  the  topic  of  conversation  chanced  to  be 
on  the  authenticity  of  the  sacred  Scriptures, 
and  Captain  Sims  pleasantly  remarked,  that,  as 
he  liad  already  been  foiled  on  that  subject,  he 
referred  the  cause  to  his  young  friend  the  minis- 
ter, who  was  better  able  to  maintain  the  contest 
than  he  was. 

The  minister  politely  declined   what  might 


CAPT.     JAMES     WILSON.  31 

seem  an  obtrusion  of  his  sentiments  on  the  com- 
pany, and  added,  that  he  thought  the  matter  too 
serious  and  important  for  the  occasion,  although 
he  was  ready  at  all  times  to  defend  the  truth, 
according  to  the  best  of  his  abilities.  Captain 
Wilson  smiled  at  the  gravity  of  the  clergyman, 
and  observed,  that  it  would  be  no  obtrusion : 
*'  I  assure  you,  sir,"  continued  he  with  a  dog- 
matical air,  "  I  am  glad  of  the  opportunity  to 
converse  on  it;  for  I  have  never  met  with  a 
clergyman  yet,  and  I  have  conversed  with  seve- 
ral, that  I  could  not  foil  in  a  quarter  of  an 
hour."  This  seemed  a  challenge  that  no  man 
of  honour  could  decline ;  and  when  the  party 
broke  up,  the  two  combatants,  embracing  the 
delightful  opportunity  which  a  fine  evening  in 
July  afforded,  adjourned  to  a  shady  bower  in 
the  garden,  there  to  debate  the  point,  whether 
Christianity  was  a  revelation  from  God. 

The  minister  reminded  him  to  treat  the  sub- 
ject with  all  the  seriousness  it  deserved ;  and 
very  generously  proposed  to  allow  him  the 
choice  of  his  own  mode  of  argument,  either  to 
object  or  reply,  as  he  might  find  most  agreeable. 
Captain  Wilson  admitted  the  subject  was  seri- 
ous, and  that  he  intended  to  treat  it  as  such; 
but  rather  declined  entering  into  a  formal  and 
logical  mode  of  reasoning;  observing,  that  if  the 
principal  objections  were  removed,  he  was  ready 


Sa  L  I  F  E    O  F 

to  acknowledge  the  Scriptures  as  the  word  of 
God;  and  would  endeavour  to  conform  his  prin- 
ciples and  his  conduct  accordingly.  He  grant- 
ed at  once  the  superior  excellence  of  Chris- 
tianity, and  that  none  of  the  writings  of  the 
Mahometans,  the  Hindoos,  or  the  Chinese, 
could  bear  a  comparison  of  claims  to  divine 
revelation,  with  those  contained  in  the  Old  and 
New  Testament;  but  he  thought  there  were  dif- 
ficulties connected  with  its  evidences  and  its 
doctrines,  which  could  not  be  satisfactorily  ex- 
plained. These  it  appeared  to  him  impossi- 
ble to  obviate,  in  such  a  way  as  to  produce  con- 
viction. 

Being  requested  to  state  what  he  thought  most 
objectionable,  the  following,  after  some  delibe- 
ration, were  urged  as  the  chief  reasons  of  his 
incredulity :  That  the  Scriptures  give  an  unlove- 
ly representation  of  the  divine  character,  con- 
trary to  what  appears  in  the  works  of  nature; 
that  they  increase  our  perplexities  with  respect 
to  religion,  by  requiring  us  to  believe  mysteries, 
or  truths  not  within  the  sphere  of  our  under- 
standing; that  what  is  assumed  as  a  revelation 
from  God  to  the  world,  and  as  a  universal 
remedy  for  all  its  intellectual  errors  and  moral 
evils,  had  not,  after  so  many  thousand  years, 
reached  one-tenth  part  of  the  inhabitants  of  the 
globe  ;  that  the  magnitude  of  creation  renders  it 


CAPT.     JAMES     WILSON.  33 

altogether  improbable  that  the  Supreme  Being 
has  conducted  himself  towards  the  inhabitants 
of  this  comparatively  insignificant  spot  of  the 
universe,  in  the  manner  the  Scriptures  represent 
him  to  have  done ;  and  that  Judaism  and  Chris- 
tianity, instead  of  being  a  benefit,  had  been  an 
injury  to  the  world.  These  he  confessed  were 
the  most  weighty  and  formidable  difficulties, 
and  though  there  were  others  in  detail,  yet  if 
these  could  be  removed,  the  rest,  he  allowed, 
would  have  very  little  influence. 

These  objections,  the  reader  will  perceive, 
have  been  produced  and  re-produced  by  infidels 
in  various  forms,  and  as  often  refuted  in  the 
most  satisfactory  manner;  but  as  it  would  not 
have  answered  his  present  design  merely  to 
make  this  assertion,  the  minister  condescended 
to  reply  briefly  to  the  several  particulars,  in 
such  a  way  as  he  hoped  would  tend,  if  not  fully 
to  repel  the  arguments,  at  least  to  weaken  their 
force.  He  stated  as  a  general  preliminary,  that 
it  was  unphiloaophical,  and  contrary  to  the  ac- 
knowledged methods  of  sound  reasoning,  to 
object  to  the  truth  of  a  proposition,  because  that 
truth  contained  some  principles  difficult  to  be 
comprehended.  Such  a  prejudice  would  be  a 
mighty  barrier  to  the  attainment  of  knowledge 
in  almost  every  science ;  in  chemistry,  mathe- 
matics, natural  history,  &;c.,  where  there  are 
4* 


34  LIFE     OF 

innumerable  principles,  the  truth  or  reality  of 
which  is  proved  by  incontestible  evidences, 
although  the  truth  itself  contains  first  principles 
that  cannot  be  explained. 

This  mode  of  objecting,  he  observed,  would 
apply  with  equal  force  against  Deism  as  against 
Christianity,  since  there  were  many  positions 
in  natural,  as  well  as  in  revealed  religion,  against 
which  similar  difficulties  might  be  urged.  For 
example,  the  permission  of  moral  evil,  the  pro- 
vidence of  God,  the  existence  of  spirit  as  dis- 
tinct from  matter,  and  consequently  a  future 
state  of  being,  might  all  be  denied  on  the  same 
principle,  since  each  of  these  truths  have  mys- 
teries connected  with  them;  and  yet  many 
Deists  believe  them,  and  admit  the  evidence  by 
which  they  are  proved.  This,  therefore,  clear- 
ly showed  ihe  unreasonableness  of  those  who 
objected  to  the  evidences  on  which  revelation  is 
founded,  merely  because  the  subject  was  found 
to  contain  some  inexplicable  difficulties. 

He  next  replied  to  his  objection  as  to  the 
Scriptural  representations  of  the  divine  charac- 
ter— unloveliness  and  severity.  He  observed, 
that  our  conceptions  of  character  are  often  rather 
pictures  drawn  after  our  own  fancies  or  feelings, 
than  exact  resemblances  of  the  truth ;  and  that 
which  is  excellent  in  the  esteem  of  one  man, 
often  is,  in  the  opinion  of  another,  q\iite  the  re- 


CAPT.     JAMES    WILSON.  35 

verse.  Thus,  a  disobedient  son,  an  indolent  ser- 
vant, or  a  condemned  criminal,  will  form  their 
estimates  as  to  the  character  of  a  father,  a  mas- 
ter, or  a  judge,  very  differently  from  a  virtuous 
child,  an  industrious  servant,  or  a  loyal  subject. 
The  one  will  see  goodness  and  virtue,  where 
the  other  can  discover  nothing  but  harshness 
and  severity.  One  who  has  a  competent 
fortune,  a  comfortable  residence,  and  pleasant 
gardens,  will  think  more  favourably  of  the 
kindness  and  munificence  of  the  Deity,  than  the 
slave  in  the  mines,  or  the  beggar  who  wanders 
on  a  precarious  charity.  If  it  be  true,  as  Scrip- 
ture asserts,  that  we  are  in  a  state  of  enmity 
and  rebellion  against  God,  is  it  to  be  wondered 
at  if  we  should  dislike  the  description  he  has 
given  us  of  himself,  or  deem  those  features 
unlovely  that  we  cannot  look  upon  but  with 
terror ! 

He  showed  him,  on  the  other  hand,  that  they 
must  adopt  very  partial  and  erroneous  views  of 
the  divine  character,  who  should  conceive  of  it 
as  all  goodness  and  mercy;  forgetting,  that  at 
the  same  time,  to  be  consistent  with  itself  and 
with  our  ideas  of  perfection,  it  must  possess 
also  the  attributes  of  justice  and  holiness.  These 
latter  attributes  are  in  Scripture  associated  with 
his  goodness,  in  order  to  form  a  complete  and 
perfect  character.     In  order  to  apply  this  argu- 


36  LIFE     OF 

ment,  and  bring  it  home  to  the  case  of  his  oppo- 
nent, the  minister  drew  a  contrast  between  the 
two  systems,  and  left  his  friend  to  infer,  which 
of  them  gave  the  most  favourable  representa- 
tion of  the  goodness  and  benevolence  of  the 
Deity — that  which  assured  us  of  a  future  state, 
which  brought  life  and  immortality  to  light,  and 
directed  us  to  the  means  of  obtaining  them ;  or 
that  which  left  these  momentous  and  interesting 
questions  in  darkness  and  uncertainty.  "  Is 
this  then,"  he  asked,  *'a  proof  of  the  goodness 
of  God,  to  leave  you  in  a  state  of  the  most  aw- 
ful suspense,  on  subjects  that  so  nearly  concern 
your  greatest  happiness  ?  Is  this  a  mark  of 
goodness,  to  give  you  the  dim  light  of  reason, 
which,  like  that  of  the  glow-worm,  only  serves 
to  make  the  surrounding  darkness  more  visible; 
and  to  refuse  that  light  which  is  able  to  dispel 
your  darkness  ?  To  give  you  a  conscience  capa- 
ble of  tormenting  you,  without  the  method  of 
having  it  appeased — without  knowing  whether 
he  will  pardon  few  sins,  or  many,  and  on  what 
conditions  ?  And  is  this  the  system  that  is 
founded  on  the  goodness  of  God  ?  No :  the 
subject  will  not  bear  looking  at;  the  further 
you  go,  the  more  the  mind  is  perplexed.  It  is 
revelation  that  gives  the  most  lovely  exhibition 
of  this  goodness.  There  the  doubts  and  fears 
of  the  anxious  mind    are   resolved.     Life  and 


CAPT.     JAMES     WILSON.  37 

immortality  are  brought  to  light  by  the  gos- 
pel." 

To  this  Captain  Wilson  had  nothing  to  reply; 
but  he  mentioned  some  particular  passages  in 
the  Old  Testament  that  he  could  not  reconcile 
with  his  ideas  of  the  divine  goodness,  such  as 
the  distinction  between  the  offerings  of  Cain 
and  Abel,  the  command  of  God  to  the  Israelites, 
with  respect  to  the  nations  that  were  to  be  ex- 
pelled from  the  promised  land,  and  especially 
the  destruction  of  the  Canaanites.  Of  these  the 
minister  gave  him  such  explanations,  as  satis- 
fied him  that  the  Scripture  account  was  not  at- 
tended with  greater  difficulties  than  any  other, 
but  the  contrary;  and  that  even  as  matters  of 
fact,  they  appeared  not  to  be  a  greater  violation 
of  justice  or  humanity,  than  the  African  slave- 
trade,  which  he  scrupled  not  to  reconcile  with 
his  principles. 

The  captain,  finding  that  he  could  make  no 
ground  on  his  antagonist,  abandoned  this  point 
as  indefensible,  and  retired  to  what  he  consid- 
ered a  more  tenable  position,  the  absurdity  of 
Scripture  requiring  him  to  believe  mysteries. 
The  minister  admitted  that  the  Scriptures  con- 
tain a  variety  of  truths  which  may  be  considered 
as  mysteries  ;  that  is,  which  imply  something 
in  their  nature,  degree,  or  mode  of  existence, 
which  lies   beyond  the  sphere  of  our  compre- 


38  LIFE    OF 

heiision ;  not  that  the  doctrine  or  truth  itself  is 
hidden,  for  this  would  be  a  contradiction  in 
terms.  But  he  contended,  that  these  were  not 
more  mysterious  than  a  number  of  principles 
which  are  commonly  received  by  philosophers ; 
the  evidences  of  whose  existence  are  so  strong, 
that  they  cannot  refuse  their  assent  to  them  ; 
such  as  the  phenomena  of  animal  and  vegetable 
vitality;  the  formation  of  matter  out  of  nothing; 
the  eternity  and  immensity  of  the  Divine  Being, 
which  no  finite  mind  can  comprehend.  "  If 
therefore,"  he  concluded,  *'  the  inspired  volume 
contains  a  variety  of  truths  which  lie  beyond 
the  sphere  of  our  limited  capacity,  it  is  rather 
an  evidence  of  its  divine  authenticity,  than 
against  it." 

The  captain  was  willing  to  allow,  that  he 
might  receive  some  truths  which  he  did  not 
fully  comprehend,  but  could  never  be  brought  to 
believe  what  was  contrary  to  the  nature  of 
things.  He  instanced  the  doctrine  of  the  Tri- 
nity; and  added,  that  this  was  so  contrary  to 
reason,  that  he  had  hardly  patience  to  attend  to 
evidences  which  attempted  to  prove  such  an  ab- 
surdity, as  that  three  are  one,  and  one  is  three ; 
or  that  the  book  which  contains  such  prepos- 
terous positions  was  the  word  of  God. 

The  minister  again  reminded  him,  that  the 
Scriptures  contained  some  things  hard  to  be  un- 


CAPT.   JAMES   WILSON.  39 

derstood,  and  therefore  to  attempt  to  explain 
what  is  inexplicable,  would  be  as  ridiculous  as 
it  was  impossible;  but  this,  he  observed,  could 
be  no  reasonable  objection  to  our  receiving  a 
revelation  from  the  Deity,  if  otherwise  proved, 
that  we  could  not  understand  the  mode  of  his 
essence  or  existence.  It  was  too  assuming,  to 
make  our  judgment  of  the  Deity  a  standard  by 
which  to  try  the  evidences  of  a  revelation  from 
him  to  man;  since,  upon  such  a  principle,  it 
would  be  impossible  for  the  Divine  Being  to 
make  a  revelation  of  himself  to  his  creatures, 
supposing  that  there  was  any  thing  in  the  nature 
of  his  existence,  incompatible  with  our  modes 
of  reasoning.  And  as  to  believing  nothing  that 
is  seemingly  contrary  to  reason,  he  question- 
ed whether,  in  this  assertion,  the  captain  was 
quite  correct.  "Do  you  not,"  said  he,  "be- 
lieve that  God  is  every  where  present,  in 
the  most  strict  and  philosophical  sense  of  the 
word  ?  and  yet  do  you  not  as  firmly  believe, 
that  there  are  innumerable  worlds  of  matter  in 
the  universe,  and  also  innumerable  spirits,  who 
are  distinct,  intelligent,  free  agents  ?  What 
power  of  reasoning  is  your  mind  endowed  with, 
by  which  it  can  reconcile  these  two  opposite 
propositions?  Can  two  beings,  two  substances, 
occupy  exactly  the  same  space  at  the  same 
time  ?     If  you  believe  the  other  two  proposi- 


40  L  I  F  E     O  F 

tions,  you  must  also  believe  that  tliey  can.  But 
is  not  this  contrary  to  your  mode  of  reasoning; 
or  as  far  as  your  perceptions  go,  contrary  to  the 
nature  of  things?" 

The  doctrine  of  the  unity  of  the  Deity,  so 
clearly  taught  in  Scripture,  and  which  appears 
to  us  now  to  be  a  self-evident  position,  for 
many  ages,  he  told  him,  had  to  struggle  with 
the  reasonings  of  men  before  it  obtained  exten- 
sive belief;  and  even  yet  had  not  obtained  uni- 
versal reception.  It  was  contrary  to  the  reason 
of  the  ancients,  seeing  there  were  so  many 
opposite  principles  in  the  universe,  both  moral 
and  physical,  that  there  should  be  but  one  God. 
The  belief  of  a  plurality  of  deities  was  general 
through  all  nations;  a  fact  which  might  serve 
to  show  how  dangerous  it  is,  to  make  our  ideas 
of  the  nature  of  the  divine  existence  a  reason 
for  refusing  to  examine  the  claims  of  Scripture 
to  be  a  revelation  from  God :  since,  had  men 
always  acted  under  the  influence  of  this  princi- 
ple, the  doctrine  of  the  divine  unity  might  still 
have  been  treated  as  an  absurdity. 

The  captain  agreed  that  there  was  something 
in  the  nature  of  spiritual  beings  that  we  could 
not  understand,  and  seemed  to  perceive  the 
absurdity  of  his  prescribing  a  mode  of  existence 
to  what  was  incomprehensible,  or  of  making 
human  reason  the  standard  by    which   to  deter- 


CAPT.     JAMES,     WILSON.  41 

mine  the  nature  of  the  divine  essence.  He, 
therefore,  proposed  to  take  up  his  third  objec- 
tion to  revelation,  viz.  that  it  had  never  been 
universally  known ;  a  defect  that  rendered  it,  in 
a  great  measure,  of  no  use,  since  it  could  nei- 
ther be  a  rule  of  duty,  nor  a  remedy  for  misery, 
where  men  had  never  heard  of  it.  *'  It  is  not 
denied,"  replied  his  friend,  "  that  the  want  of 
the  universal  diffusion  of  revelation,  is  a  serious 
evil  to  the  world;  but  may  not  the  objection  you 
now  urge,  have  been  one  cause  of  preventing  its 
becoming  universal  ?  If  your  argument  is  valid, 
it  never  can  become  so ;  for  if  all  men  refuse  to 
examine  its  claims  to  divine  authenticity,  till  it 
is  universally  known,  it  is  morally  impossible  it 
should  ever  be  received  by  the  whole  world,  for 
the  objection  would  present  an  insuperable  bar- 
rier to  its  general  reception.  This  is  reasoning 
in  a  circle,  and  terminates  in  absurdity  :  it  is, 
in  fact,  to  say,  that  it  ought  not  to  be  universal- 
ly received,  till  it  is  universally  received.  But 
perhaps  your  objection  supposes,  that  if  God 
gave  a  revelation  of  his  u'ill  to  man,  there  is 
something  in  the  nature  of  his  character,  and  of 
his  moral  government,  which  would  justify  us 
in  concluding,  that  he  would  at  the  same  time 
make  the  discovery  to  all." 

Upon  this  supposition,  he  showed  him  that 
his   objection   was   quite   unsupported   by   the 
5 


42  LIFE     OF 

analysis  of  the  divine  government;  and  was 
extremely  inconsistent  in  a  Deist,  who  profess- 
ed to  believe  that  God  had  given  a  discovery  of 
himself  in  his  works,  sufficiently  intelligible  to 
all  mankind;  and  yet  Deism  was  not  universal, 
the  numbers  of  its  disciples  being  few,  compared 
with  Christians,  and  still  smaller  compared  with 
heathens  and  idolaters.  The  objection  ought, 
therefore,  he  observed,  to  have  no  weight  with 
him,  because  it  applied  with  more  than  equal 
force  against  his  own  system.  "  I  see  no  alter- 
native for  you,"  he  concluded,  "  upon  your 
own  argument,  but  either  to  admit  the  princi- 
ples of  Atheism  or  Paganism,  or  to  go  calmly 
into  the  evidences  of  Christianity."  That  the 
Scriptures  are  not  universally  known,  he  inform- 
ed him,  was  one  evidence  of  the  truth  of  some 
of  the  great  principles  which  they  contain  ;  for 
they  describe  men  as  in  a  state  of  rebellion 
against  their  Maker,  not  liking  to  retain  God  in 
their  thoughts.  It  was  not  then  a  matter  of  sur- 
prise, that  men  should  make  objections  against 
the  divine  origin  of  a  book,  which  prescribed 
rules  to  which  they  have  no  wish  to  be  con- 
formed, motives  of  action  they  never  feel,  and 
denunciations  of  wrath  against  sins  to  which 
they  are  strongly  attached,  both  by  inclination 
and  habit.  But  it  can  never  be  an  excuse  to  the 
objectors  of  Christianity,  that  it  is  not  univer- 


CAPT.     JAMES     WILSON.  43 

sally  received,  or  that  others  have  neglected  to 
inquire  into  its  authority,  or  refused  submission 
to  its  proposals.  Such  a  plea  would  rather 
aggravate  than  extenuate  their  criminality.  In 
applying  the  argument,  he  begged  his  friend 
seriously  to  consider,  that  however  some  might 
plead  before  the  tribunal  of  their  Maker,  that 
they  never  had  an  opportunity  to  investigate  the 
claims  or  the  doctrines  of  Scripture,  he  would 
not  be  entitled  to  make  this  plea.  "  Let  me 
entreat  you  then,"  he  concluded,  "  patiently  to 
examine  their  evidences,  and  study  their  con- 
tents. I  am  persuaded  you  will  not  be  offended 
with  me,  for  using  this  earnestness;  since  it 
must  appear  to  you  a  species  of  hypocrisy  in 
me,  to  profess  to  believe  the  truth  and  impor- 
tance of  revelation,  and  not  be  desirous  that 
others  also  should  believe  its  divine  origin,  and 
participate  in  its  benefits." 

The  captain  expressed  himself  obliged  to  the 
minister  for  his  good  wishes,  however  unneces- 
sary he  might  think  them  ;  but  dropt  no  remarks 
that  could  indicate  what  impression  his  argu- 
ments and  earnest  expostulations  had  made  upon 
him.  It  appears,  however,  he  could  advance 
nothing  in  his  own  vindication,  for  he  imme- 
diately turned  the  conversation  towards  another 
objection,  which  he  drew  from  the  extent  or 
magnitude  of  creation.    It  seemed  to  him  highly 


44  LIF£     OF 

improbable,  he  said,  that  the  inhabitants  of  this 
comparatively  insignificant  spot,  should  receive 
that  kind  of  attention  described  in  the  Scrip- 
tures, since  the  globe  we  inhabit,  probably  bears 
a  less  proportion  to  the  universe,  than  an  orange 
bears  to  the  solar  system:  When  we  see  that 
the  waters  and  the  air  are  full  of  animation,  and 
that  vegetables  and  animals  are  little  worlds 
covered  with  inhabitants,  is  it  not  natural  to 
suppose  that  the  globes  which  float  in  the  bound- 
less extent  of  space  around  us,  are  also  inhabit- 
ed? And  when  we  consider  that  our  own  is  the 
centre  of  a  system,  with  planets  like  our  earth, 
and  some  of  them  much  larger,  revolving  round 
it,  is  it  not  probable  that  the  fixed  stars  are  suns 
to  other  systems?  Now,  that  a  Being  possess- 
ed of  such  vast,  and  to  us,  boundless  dominions, 
should  speak  and  act  as  though  all  his  other 
works  were  made  for  the  inhabitants  of  this  lit- 
tle spot;  and  that  he  who  made  and  governs  all, 
should  unite  himself  with  human  nature,  and 
die  to  restore  man  to  happiness,  seemed  so 
much  beyond  the  bounds  of  probability,  that  he 
wondered  how  any  man  of  a  philosophical  mind 
could  believe  such  things. 

Before  replying  to  this  objection  in  detail,  the 
minister  reminded  him  that  the  whole  argument 
was  weak ;  and  one  part  of  his  view  erroneous, 
since  Scripture  no  where  represents,  that  all  the 


CAPT.     JAMES     WILSON,  45 

works  of  God  were  made  for  the  benefit  of  man, 
nor  that  any  of  them  were  made  exclusively  for 
his  advantage.  "  I  do  not,"  he  proceeded, 
'*  deny  some  of  your  probabilities  ;  it  may  be 
true,  that  the  stars  are  suns,  and  these  suns  have 
planetary  systems,  and  these  systems  are  all  in- 
habited ;  but  it  may  be  useful  to  recollect,  that 
these  are  only  probabilities  and  not  certainties. 
It  is  from  one  train  of  probabilities  that  you  de- 
duce another,  so  that  the  probabilities  urged 
against  the  truth  of  revelation  are  not  deductions 
from  known  facts :  this  to  a  philosopher  (that 
is,  to  a  man  of  close  reasoning)  must  very  much 
weaken  the  objection.  To  probability  then,  I 
would  oppose  probability,  and  thus  balance  your 
objection,  or,  as  I  think,  turn  the  scale  against 
it.  The  probabilities  in  favour  of  revelation,  to 
be  deduced  from  the  minuteness  of  the  works  of 
God,  are,  I  think,  equal  both  in  number  and 
weight,  to  those  which  form  the  objection  ari- 
sing from  the  magnitude  of  his  works." 

This  he  illustrated,  by  referring  to  the  nice 
adjustments  in  the  minutest  parts  of  the  animal 
structure :  the  adaptation  of  the  eye  to  light,  the 
ear  to  sound,  the  lungs  for  respiration;  and  in 
short,  the  whole  animal  economy,  which  ex- 
tended even  to  the  smallest  fly  or  insect.  This 
minute  attention  of  the  divine  Being  to  the  ope- 
rations of  matter,  made  it  probable,  that  he  is 
5* 


46  LIFE    OF 

not  less  attentive  to  the  operations  of  mind :  and 
considering  that  all  these  arrangements  are  con- 
nected with  animal  or  human  happiness,  the  in- 
ference obviously  was,  that  he  who  has  been  so 
kindly  attentive  to  the  body,  had  not  neglected 
the  soul ;  that  he  who  has  given  light  for  the 
eye,  has  given  truth  for  the  understanding:  And 
seeing  that  the  Scriptures  contain  principles  as 
suited  to  the  comfort  of  the  mind,  as  food  is 
suited  to  the  sustenance  of  the  body,  the  proba- 
bility is  that  these  truths  are  from  God,  because 
there  is  as  pleasing  an  adaptation  between  these 
truths  and  the  state  or  condition  of  the  human 
mind,  as  there  is  between  food  and  hunger,  light 
and  the  power  of  vision. 

But  the  magnitude  of  his  works  suggests  pro- 
babilities in  favour  of  revelation,  as  well  as  the 
minuteness  of  them.  In  surveying  the  greatness 
of  his  power  in  creating  such  boundless  works, 
and  liis  astonishing  wisdom  in  the  management 
of  them;  who  can  resist  the  persuasion  that  he 
would,  for  the  same  reasons,  magnify  his  con- 
descension, goodness,  and  mercy,  by  some  me- 
thod corresponding  with  that  by  which  he  has 
displayed  his  wisdom  and  power;  and  nowhere 
is  this  so  fully  to  be  seen,  as  in  those  Scriptures 
which  relate  the  history  of  the  redemption  of  the 
world  by  the  Son  of  God.  This  is  an  event 
which  fills  us  with  as  much  astonishment  at  his 


CAPT.     JAMES     WILSON.  47 

loving  kindness  and  tender  n:iercy,  as  the  vast- 
ness  of  his  works  fills  us  with  astonishment  at 
his  power.  Philosophy  presents  a  magnificent 
display  of  the  greatness  of  God,  but  the  Scrip- 
tures give  us  also  a  grand  display  of  his  good- 
ness. Here,  therefore,  the  probability  is  also 
in  favour  of  revelation. 

In  estimating  the  argument  from  the  magni- 
tude of  creation,  and  the  comparative  insignifi- 
cance of  man,  there  was  one  fact  we  ought  not 
to  lose  sight  of,  the  superior  excellence  of  intel- 
ligence to  that  of  matter.  The  inhabitants  of 
this  earth,  considered  as  intelligent  creatures, 
were  of  more  importance  in  the  scale  of  being, 
than  all  the  innumerable  worlds  of  matter  which 
God  had  made;  and  which  appeared,  either  di- 
rectly, or  remotely  to  minister  to  the  good  of 
man.  The  demonstrations  of  beneficent  design, 
therefore,  arising  from  the  works  of  God,  were 
proofs  in  favour  of  the  Scriptures  being  a  reve- 
lation from  him  ;  and  that  he  had  done  every 
thing  to  show  his  concern  for  the  present  and 
future  happiness  of  his  creatures.  Besides,  it 
was  enough  to.  expose  the  weakness  of  the  ob- 
jection, that  the  whole  reasoning  was  built  alto- 
gether upon  hypothesis  and  probability. 

These  arguments,  though  they  did  not  appear 
to  the  Captain  altogether  satisfactory,  or  con- 
vincing, yet  tended,  by  his  own  concession,  to 


48  LIFE    OF 

set  the  subject  in  a  more  favourable  light.  "  But 
how  do  you  account  for  it,"  said  he,  *'  that  the 
principles  of  the  Scriptures  have  done  so  little 
good  in  the  world ;  and  have  been  the  cause  of 
so  much  superstition,  tyranny,  and  bloodshed  ?" 
*'  You  appear,"  said  the  minister,  "  to  take  these 
things  for  granted,  as  though  they  were  self-evi- 
dent positions ;  but  I  must  beg  leave  to  deny 
the  statement.  Christianity  has  done  vast  good 
in  the  world,  and  has  not,  properly  considered, 
been  the  cause  of  superstition,  tyranny,  or  cru- 
elty. It  is  certainly  much  to  be  lamented,  that 
some,  for  ambitious  purposes,  under  the  mask 
of  religion,  have  invented  superstitious  obser- 
vances, to  divert  the  attention  of  men  from  their 
just  rights ;  and  have  persecuted  myriads  with 
unrelenting  severity,  for  daring  to  think  for  them- 
selves. But  I  presume  you  will  admit  that  this 
was  done  from  political  motives;  and  nothing 
can  be  a  stronger  proof  that  these  things  cannot 
be  fairly  attributed  to  the  principles  of  Christi- 
anity, than  the  Catholics  having  prohibited  the 
people  from  reading  the  Scriptures.  Who  does 
not  perceive,  that  had  Christianity  justified  their 
conduct,  they  would  most  readily  have  circula- 
ted the  sacred  book  in  their  own  defence  ?" 

Nothing,  he  justly  observed,  could  be  more 
opposite  to  the  spirit  of  cruelty  and  oppression, 
than  the  language  of  Christ,  or  the  principles 


CAPT.     JAMES     WILSON.  49 

and  examples  recorded  in  the  New  Testament; 
and  nothing  can  be  more  uncandid,  than  to  as- 
cribe to  Christianity,  the  vices  and  misconduct 
of  those  who  have  disgraced  the  name  and  pro- 
fession of  Christians.  It  must  be  evident  to 
every  one,  that  since  the  Scriptures  have  been 
more  freely  circulated,  and  more  generally  read, 
the  state  of  society  in  Europe,  and  the  world  at 
large,  has  gradually  increased  in  amelioration. 

Here  the  Captain,  imagining  he  had  found  in 
this  sort  of  argument,  a  two-edged  sword  which 
he  could  turn  with  advantage  upon  his  adversary, 
interrupted  him  ;  and  observed  with  a  smile, 
"  You  certainly  have  a  happy  knack  of  getting 
clear  of  a  difficulty.  When  I  object  to  the  mys- 
tery of  your  principles,  you  refer  me  to  your 
practice ;  and  when  I  refer  to  the  bad  practices 
of  the  votaries  of  Christianity,  you  refer  me 
to  your  principles."  "  Notwithstanding  your 
pleasantry,"  rejoined  his  friend,  "I  am  per- 
suaded, however  indignant  you  feel,  and  not 
more  so  than  I  do,  at  the  conduct  of  those  who 
have  disgraced  the  Christian  name,  by  their  un- 
just and  cruel  actions,  you  do  not  believe  it  is 
fairly  to  be  attributed  to  the  principles  of  Chris- 
tianity. This,  however,  is  only  the  negative 
part  of  the  subject ;  but  there  are,  I  think,  strong 
positive  evidences  that  the  Gospel  has  proved  an 
extensive  blessing  to   the   world.     In  order  to 


50  LIFE    OF 

ee  this  truth  in  a  strong  light,  we  should  con- 
template the  ancient  state  of  the  world,  where 
revelation  had  not  reached  ;  and  we  should  also 
compare  those  parts  of  the  world  now,  where 
Christianity  has  not  been  received,  with  those 
where  it  has  been  suflercd  to  have  its  unres- 
trained and  native  influence." 

It  could  be  proved,  he  observed,  from  various 
evidences  of  historical  facts,  that  Christianity 
had  been  the  cause  of  abolishing  the  practice  of 
human  sacrifices,  which  once  prevailed  both  in 
Britain,  and  various  parts  of  the  Continent  of 
Europe,  where  vast  numbers  of  human  beings 
were  every  year  immolated,  as  the  effect  of  their 
false  religion,  but  the  benign  genius  of  the  Gos- 
pel had  long  since  trodden  dov;n  their  cruel 
altars,  and  wrested  from  them  their  bloody 
knife.  It  had  restored  women  to  their  proper 
station  in  society,  and  thus  tended  to  render  one 
half  of  the  inhabitants  happy;  and  by  them  to 
soften  the  manners,  and  promote  the  happiness 
of  the  other  half.  The  sacred  institution  of 
marriage  had  been  sanctioned,  and  guarded  by 
the  Christian  religion;  divorce  rendered  diffi- 
cult and  unattainable,  except  for  high  crimes  ; 
females  and  children  were  thus  protected,  and 
the  great  and  depopulating  vices  kept  in  check, 
by  the  laws  and  manners  which  it  had  difTused. 
The    cruel    manner   in    which    slaves    were 


C APT.    JAMES   WILSON.  51 

treated  by  the  ancients,  is  written  in  lines  of 
blood  on  the  historic  pages  of  almost  every  na- 
tion— England  and  every  kingdom  of  the  Con- 
tinent, had  its  market  for  slaves  as  well  as  for 
cattle,  till  the  Gospel  infused  milder  principles 
into  their  laws  and  usages.  It  is  to  the  influ- 
ence of  Christianity  that  Europe  owes  its  ad- 
vanced state  of  civilization,  beyond  the  other 
parts  of  the  world  ;  and  wherever  it  has  had  the 
most  extensive  and  unrestrained  operation,  there 
is  the  most  improved  and  happy  state  of  society. 
These,  he  concluded,  were  known  and  public 
facts,  which  could  be  accounted  for  on  no  other 
principles,  than  those  enforced  from  the  Chris- 
tian revelation. 

The  Captain  was  here  allowed  an  opportunity 
of  offering  any  remarks  he  had  to  make,  by  way 
of  refutation  or  defence ;  but  as  he  remained 
silent,  the  minister  began  to  infer,  that  he  either 
found  his  objections  giving  way,  or  grew  tired 
of  the  conversation.  "I  will  relieve  you  from 
that  suspicion,"  replied  the  other,  "  for  I  assure 
you,  I  never  was  more  interested  in  a  conversa- 
tion in  all  my  life,  and  I  should  be  sorry  if  our 
friends  came  to  interrupt  us :  but  there  is  one 
thing  more  I  should  like  to  have  your  remarks 
on,  which  has  often  occurred  to  me  to  be  very 
unaccountable.  If  Christianity  contains  a  di- 
vine revelation,  how  is  it  that  there  is  such  a 


52  LIFE    OF 

diversity  of  opinions  among  tliose  who  believe 
it  to  be  the  word  of  God?  There  are  as  many 
opposite  sentiments  as  there  are  pages,  and  al- 
most as  many  sects  as  sentiments;  how  then 
am  1  to  know  what  is  right  ?" 

This  objection,  his  friend  answered,  would 
apply  more  forcibly  to  the  system  of  Deists 
than  of  Ciiristians,  since  the  former  diflfer  among 
themselves  as  much  as  the  latter ;  and  though 
they  might  have  a  few  sentiments  that  are  fixed, 
the  far  greater  part  were  as  fleeting  and  mutable 
as  the  clouds;  for  among  all  the  Deists  that  have 
ever  written,  there  were  not  two  that  had  agreed 
even  upon  the  outlines  of  the  system  of  natural 
religion.  But  he  begged  to  remind  him,  that 
the  real  differences  among  Christians  were 
fewer  than  is  generally  supposed.  Some  of  the 
opinions  in  which  they  differed,  were  about 
such  comparative  trifles,  that  they  bear  no  pro- 
portion to  the  sentiments  in  which  they  agreed. 
Besides,  as  revelation  never  pretended  to  afford 
supernatural  powers  of  intellect,  to  preserve  all 
who  received  it  from  the  possibility  of  any 
error;  but  proposed  its  truths  to  the  minds  of 
men,  in  the  state  in  which  it  found  them,  it 
could  not  be  matter  of  surprise,  that  there  should 
be  differences  of  opinion  on  subjects  so  various 
and  complicated;  especially  considering  what  a 
diversity  of  degrees  there  is   in  the  strength  of 


CAPT.    JAMES    WILSON.  53 

human  reason — what  secret  influence  the  dis- 
positions of  the  heart  have  over  the  decisions  of 
the  understanding,  and  how  deep  and  extensive 
are  the  prejudices  of  education.  It  should  also 
be  remembered,  that  many  who  professed  to 
believe  Christianity,  were  not  under  the  influ- 
ence of  its  doctrines;  and  had  an  interest  in 
giving  them  such  explanations  as  suited  their 
pride,  their  evil  passions,  and  worklly  spirit. 
As  to  the  diflSculty  of  knowing  what  is  right 
among  such  a  diversity  of  sentiments,  he  was 
told  that  the  Scriptures  did  not  lay  him  under 
obligation  to  be  absolutely  guided  by  the  opin- 
ions of  any ;  that  he  was  to  exercise  his  own 
faculties,  and  form  his  own  opinions  from  the 
Scriptures  themselves.  If  the  heart,  added  his 
friend,  be  truly  under  the  influence  of  the  truths 
of  the  Gospel,  the  judgment  will  not  be  essen- 
tially and  finally  wrong ;  and  wherever  men  are 
unanimous  about  the  spirit  and  temper  of  the 
Gospel,  and  feel  its  influence,  they  can  diflfer 
without  disagreeing  on  subjects  of  minor  impor- 
tance. 

As  they  had  already  spent  a  considerable  time 
in  this  discussion,  and  could  not  expect  much 
more  leisure  to  prolong  the  debate,  the  minister 
could  only  advert  in  a  very  cursory  manner  to 
some  of  the  leading  particulars  of  the  Christian 
evidences.  He  represented  to  him  the  neces- 
6 


54  LIFE    OF 

sily  of  revelation,  and  the  inefficacy  of  Deism 
to  answer  all  the  purposes  of  religion ;  though 
these  were  stated  rather  as  preliminaries  to  the 
grand  subject  of  inquiry:  That  no  better  evi- 
dence than  the  history  of  the  heathen  world  was 
required,  to  prove  that  a  revelation  from  God 
was  absolutely  necessary,  to  make  known  the 
attributes  and  will  of  the  Deity ;  as  well  as  to 
teach  the  reality,  and  explain  the  nature  of  the 
divine  government — a  subject  denied,  or  mis- 
conceived by  Pagans  and  Deists,  and  of  which 
Scripture  alone  has  given  a  correct  and  conso- 
ling view :  That  revelation  was  necessary  to 
assure  us  of  the  reality  of  a  future  state — to 
give  us  a  decisive  standard  of  right  and  wrong, 
to  describe  our  duty  to  God,  to  ourselves,  to  our 
relatives,  and  to  our  neighbours:  That  it  was 
necessary  to  satisfy  the  guilty  and  anxious  mind, 
whether  God  will  pardon  sins,  and  by  what  evi- 
dence we  may  know  he  pardons  them. 

These  were  points  essential  to  the  happiness 
of  man,  especially  to  the  inquisitive  mind,  even 
during  health  ;  but  more  peculiarly  so,  in  the 
time  of  affliction  and  of  approaching  dissolu- 
tion. Of  these.  Deism  could  give  no  satisfac- 
tory answer  to  men's  anxious  anticipations  of 
future  hopes  or  fears.  It  was  incapable  of  bring- 
ing the  mind,  the  heart,  and  the  conscience  to  a 
state  of  rest  and  tranquillity.     It  was  deficient 


CAPT.    JAMES    WILSON.  55 

in  strong  and  clear  motives  to  produce  a  holy 
life;  and  appeared  obviously  unequal  to  effect 
any  extensive  moral  change  in  the  state  of  man. 
The  principles  and  conduct  of  avowed  Deists 
were  for  the  most  part  immoral,  and  unconcern- 
ed about  all  religion  ;  and  the  manner  of  their 
death  has  generally  been  such,  as  will  bear  no 
comparison  with  the  death  of  a  vast  cloud  of 
Christian  witnesses,  for  unfeigned  resignation, 
manly  fortitude,  or  clieerful  willingness  to  die, 
and  a  confident  expectation  of  future  felicity. 

The  minister  next  directed  his  attention  to 
the  evidences  arising  from  revelation  itself,  from 
the  nature,  the  number,  and  the  designs  of  the 
facts  recorded  in  Scripture.  He  showed  him 
that  if  the  facts  were  true,  the  doctrines  could 
not  be  false ;  for  the  principal  doctrines  rested 
on  the  principal  facts,  which  were  such  as  none 
but  Omnipotence  could  have  effected,  and  were 
preferred  for  the  purpose  of  confirming  the  doc- 
trines taught  by  Moses  and  the  prophets  of  the 
Old  Testament,  and  by  Christ  and  his  apostles 
in  the  New.  That  the  Scripture  history  had 
been  sufficiently  corroborated  by  the  writings  of 
the  ancients,  and  the  customs  and  manners  of 
Eastern  nations.  That  the  critical  observations 
of  the  most  profound  linguists,  the  disquisitions 
of  those  best  acquainted  with  Oriental  literature, 
the  modern  geographical  discoveries  within  the 


56  LIFE    OF 

sphere  of  sacred  history,  together  with  the  deep- 
est researches  into  chronology,  and  the  most 
accurate  astronomical  calculations,  all  united  to 
prove  the  authenticity  of  the  Scripture  facts. 

The  Captain  here  confessed  that  since  his  re- 
turn from  India,  on  hearing  his  niece  refer  to 
some  parts  of  the  Bible,  he  had  been  forcibly 
struck  with  several  things,  which  proved  the 
Scriptures  to  be  an  Eastern  book.  Among  other 
things,  he  remarked,  tliat  the  language  of  one  of 
the  Psalms,  where  David  says.  Thou  anointest 
my  head  icith  oil,  and  my  cup  runneth  over, 
most  likely  alludes  to  a  custom  which  has  con- 
tinued to  this  day.  "  I  once,  (says  he)  had  this 
ceremony  performed  on  myself,  in  the  house  of 
a  great  and  rich  Indian,  in  the  presence  of  a 
large  company.  The  gentleman  of  the  house, 
poured  upon  my  head  and  arms  a  delightfully 
odoriferous  perfume,  put  a  golden  cup  into  my 
hand,  and  poured  wine  into  it  till  it  ran  over; 
assuring  me,  at  the  same  time,  that  it  was  a 
great  pleasure  to  him  to  receive  me,  and  that  I 
should  find  a  rich  supply  in  his  house.  I  think 
the  sacred  poet  expressed  his  senseof  the  divine 
goodness,  by  allusion  to  this  custom." 

His  friend  assured  him,  that  on  a  more  care- 
ful perusal  of  the  inspired  writings,  he  would 
discover  various  other  allusions  to  Eastern  man- 
ners ;  and   that  so   many  historical  truths,  and 


CAPT.     JAMES     WILSON.  57 

matters  of  fact,  united  to  corroborate  the  claims 
of  revelation,  as  could  not  possibly  meet  in  any 
imposture  whatever:  that  observances  and  anni- 
versaries had  been  instituted,  in  memory  of  cer- 
tain transactions ;  which  still  remain  the  vene- 
rable memorials  of  their  reality:  that  such  facts 
as  the  departure  of  the  Israelites  from  Egypt — 
the  destroying  of  the  first  born  of  all  the  Egyp- 
tians, in  memory  of  which  the  passover  was 
kept,  and  by  the  Jews  still  continuing  to  be 
kept — the  dispersion  of  the  Jews,  and  yet  their 
continuing  for  so  many  ages  a  distinct  people — 
the  agreement  of  prophecies  and  historical  events 
respecting  the  cities  of  Babylon,  Nineveh,  Tyre, 
and  Jerusalem — the  resurrection  of  Christ — the 
conversion  of  St.  Paul — the  gift  of  tongues — 
the  institutions  of  Baptism  and  the  Lord's  Sup- 
per— and  the  irresistible  success  of  the  gospel, 
in  opposition  to  the  reasonings  of  the  Grecian 
philosophers,  the  malignant  designs  of  the  Jews, 
and  the  systematic  and  persevering  efforts  of  the 
Roman  government — were  all  such  singular  and 
unparalleled  events,  that  it  appears  almost  im- 
possible for  any  man  seriously  to  consider  them, 
in  connexion  with  the  truths  they  are  designed 
to  establish,  without  feeling  an  awe  upon  his 
spirit,  and  a  secret  conviction  in  his  mind,  that 
the  Scriptures  are  the  word  of  God. 

Of  the   fulfilment  of  some  of  these   predic- 
6* 


58  LIFE     OF 

tions,  the  Captain  confessed  that  he  had  himself 
had  ocular  demonstration.  Besides  the  Jews, 
whose  dispersion  and  distinct  nationality  for  so 
many  ages,  was  very  remarkable,  there  was 
another  people  equally  distinct,  and  whose  pro- 
phetical character  he  had  often  seen  verified,  viz. 
the  Ishmaelites. — "  I  have  frequently,"  says  he, 
"  had  them  in  my  service,  and  seen  them  in 
various  situations ;  but  no  change  of  place,  con- 
nexion, or  circumstances,  in  the  least  alters  their 
character:  Their  hand  is  against  every  man , 
and  every  man^s  hand  is  against  them.  No- 
thing can  be  more  accurate  than  this  description, 
which  the  Bible  gives  us  of  them." 

As  the  evening  was  drawing  on  apace,  and 
time  would  not  permit  them  to  prosecute  the 
subject  at  greater  length,  the  minister,  in  order 
to  strengthen  the  impressions  which  his  argu- 
ments had  evidently  made,  recommended  to  the 
Captain  such  books  as  treated  on  the  several 
topics  they  had  been  discussing.  A  course  of 
systematic  reading,  he  thought  best  fitted  to  ob- 
viate all  difliculties,  which  could  not  possibly  be 
done  in  a  hasty  conversation;  and  to  extirpate 
every  lingering  doubt  that  might  still  lurk  in 
the  dark  recesses  of  his  heart.  Leland's  "  View 
of  the  Deistical  Writers,"  and  Halyburton's 
"  Inefficacy  of  Natural  Religion,"  were  pointed 
out  to  him,  as  tests  by  which  to  try  the  efficacy 


C  A  P  T  .     JAMES     WILSON.  59 

of  his  system.  He  was  advised  likewise  to 
peruse  Ryan's  "  History  of  the  Effects  of  Re- 
ligion on  Mankind;"  Butler's  "  Analogy  of  Na- 
tural and  Revealed  Religion;"  Leslie's  "Short 
Method  with  the  Deists;"  Newton  "On  the 
Prophecies  ;"  Campbell  "  On  Miracles ;"  Lard- 
ner  "  On  the  Credibility  of  the  Gospel  History;" 
West  "On  the  Resurrection  of  Christ;"  Lyt- 
tleton  "On  the  Conversion  of  St.  Paul;"  and 
Paley's  "  Horae  Paulinae."  "  From  these," 
added  his  friend,  "  your  mind,  I  am  persuaded, 
will  receive  such  a  refulgency  of  evidence,  that 
you  will  as  readily  admit  the  divine  authenticity 
of  the  Scriptures,  as  you  do  that  light  is  the 
medium  of  vision,  or  that  life  is  the  cause  of 
sensibility.  Before  parting,  I  must  beg  leave 
to  remind  you,  that  of  all  the  subjects  that  can 
possibly  engage  your  attention,  this  is  the  most 
important.  Be  not  surprised,  therefore,  that  I 
feel  a  sincere  and  friendly  concern  that  you  may 
believe  unto  eternal  life ;  that  you  may  expe- 
rience the  happiness  which  I  believe  nothing 
else  can  afford ;  and  devote  your  life  to  glorify 
Him,  who  has  so  wonderfully  preserved  and 
prospered  you.''  Captain  Sims  and  their  other 
friends  now  entered  :  "  Has  he  convinced  you  ?" 
said  he,  addressing  himself  to  Captain  Wilson. 
"  I  will  not  say  much  about  that,"  replied  the 
other,  "  but  he   has  said  some  things  I  shall 


60  LIFE    OF 

never  forget."  Here  the  subject  of  controversy 
was  dropt,  and  the  evenuig  spent  in  cheerful 
conversation. 

The  impression  produced  on  Captain  Wil- 
son's mind,  though  it  could  hardly  yet  be  said 
to  amount  to  confirmation,  or  entire  conviction, 
had  the  effect  of  rousing  his  attention  to  the 
subject.  He  read  Major  Burns'  book,  which  he 
had  formerly  returned  unopened,  with  the  avid- 
ity with  which  a  hungry  man  receives  food. 
Every  page  fortified  and  confirmed  the  prin- 
ciples he  had  heard  inculcated.  For  some  days 
he  continued  to  peruse  the  Scriptures,  occa- 
sionally conversing  with  his  niece,  and  the  Cap- 
tain of  Marines.  She  attended  the  Baptist  Cha- 
pel at  Portsea,  and  under  pretext  of  obliging 
her,  he  proffered  to  drive  her  down  to  the  place 
of  worship  on  Sabbath ;  but  his  chief  object 
was  to  hear  the  minister,  with  whom  he  had 
held  the  late  interesting  conversation.  He  ex- 
pressed himself  highly  delighted,  with  what  he 
considered  the  simplicity  of  the  worship,  and 
the  deep  interest  the  congregation  appeared  to 
take  in  it.  But  the  text  was  rather  unfavoura- 
ble for  disarming  the  prejudices  of  one  who  had 
objected  to  the  mysterious  doctrines  of  Chris- 
tianity. 

On  the  day  the  Captain  first  entered  the 
place,  the   text  in  course  for  the  sermon   that 


CAPT.     JAMES     WILSON.  61 

morning  was,  "And  whom  he  did  foreknow, 
Ihem  he  also  did  predestinate,  to  be  conformed 
to  the  image  of  his  Son."  The  foreknowledge 
of  God  had  been  the  subject  of  a  previous  dis- 
course, predestination,  therefore,  was  the  sub- 
ject for  that  morning.  The  minister  was  in  a 
high  degree  of  perturbation  when  he  saw  the 
Captain  enter  the  place  of  worship,  thinking  it 
was  unfortunate  that  such  a  doctrine  should  be 
the  first  he  should  hear,  as  he  feared  it  might  be 
misunderstood,  and  thus  rivet  his  prejudices 
against  the  truth  of  Christianit3^  He  felt  a 
wish,  if  it  had  been  any  way  possible,  to  change 
the  subject,  for  some  one  in  his  view  more 
likely  to  interest  the  Captain's  mind,  and  im- 
press his  conscience,  but  this  could  not  be  done. 
He  knew  the  people  were  come  in  expectation 
of  this  subject.  Some  feared  the  young  minis- 
ter might  darken  counsel  by  words  without 
knowledge ;  others  feared  the  doctrine  might  be 
so  represented  as  to  make  God  the  minister  of 
sin,  and  to  extenuate  the  guilt  of  human  trans- 
gression ;  while  others  were  concerned  lest  it 
should  be  explained  away,  and  the  divine  will 
be  made  to  rest  on  the  volition  of  fallen  creatures, 
constantly  changing,  but  always  wrong;  and, 
instead  of  his  purposes  directing  and  controlling 
all  events,  they  should  be  represented  as  always 
floating  upon   human  contingencies.     Though 


62  LIFE     OF 

the  minister  was  asilated  with  fears  durincr  the 
singing  of  the  hymns,  his  mi-nd  reflected  on 
itself,  Do  you  believe  the  doctrine  you  are  about 
to  explain  and  prove  ?  Do  you  not  believe  that 
tlie  Spirit  of  God  knew  the  subject,  and  who 
were  to  hear  it?  If  it  be  truth,  can  he  not 
make  this  truth,  as  well  as  any  other,  the  means 
of  tliat  man's  conversion  to  God  ?  This  rea- 
soning calmed  his  apprehensions,  and  after 
some  fervent  ejaculations  to  the  Spirit  of  Truth, 
he  felt  as  though  the  voice  of  God  addressed 
him,  saying,  "  Arise,  and  preach  the  preaching 
that  I  bid  thee." 

The  Captain,  as  he  often  declared  afterwards, 
was  highly  delighted  with  what  he  considered 
the  simplicity  of  the  worship,  and  the  deep 
interest  the  congregation  appeared  to  take  in  it. 

The  introduction  to  the  sermon  was  formed 
with  a  design  to  produce  seriousness  of  mind, 
in  the  discussion  of  a  subject  which  is  of  a  se- 
rious and  awful  kind,  and  which,  it  is  con- 
fessed, has  difficulties,  in  whatever  view  it  is 
taken;  in  the  second  place,  to  excite  candour 
towards  those  who  could  not  see  the  subject  in 
ih  same  light  in  which  it  appeared  to  the 
preacher,  for  the  belief  of  the  doctrine  neither 
constitutes  a  real  Christian,  nor  proves  that  he 
is  one :  and  also  to  call  for  candour  from  those 
who  differ  from  the  predestinarians;  for,  how- 


CAPT.     JAMES     WILSON.  63 

ever  luminous  the  evidence  of  its  being  a  Scrip- 
ture truth  may  appear  to  them,  and  however 
important  and  useful  they  judge  the  belief  of  it 
to  be,  it  is  not  considered  by  them  in  general  as 
essential  to  salvation,  that  persons  should  be- 
lieve it  in  the  sense  they  consider  and  represent 
it;  and,  lasdy,  it  was  intended  to  excite  prayer 
in  the  minds  of  the  hearers,  that  what  was  error 
might  be  perceived  and  rejected,  and  what  was 
truth  might  be  cordially  received,  and  humbly 
submitted  to,  whatever  difficulties  might  attend 
it.  The  introduction  disarmed  the  Captain's 
prejudice  and  fixed  his  attention. 

The  divisions  of  the  sermon  showed  that  it 
was  the  design  of  the  minister — first,  to  make 
some  observations  explanatory  of  the  doctrine 
of  predestination  ;  secondly,  to  advance  some 
arguments  to  confirm  it;  thirdly,  to  show  the 
uses  that  should  be  made  of  it ;  and,  lastly,  to 
guard  both  those  that  receive  and  those  that  re- 
ject the  doctrine,  from  abusing  it. 

The  outlines  and  general  principles  of  this 
sermon  are  stated  here  for  the  purpose  of  show- 
ing in  what  light  this  doctrine  was  first  present- 
ed to  the  Captain,  seeing  it  was  often  mentioned 
by  him  to  his  relatives,  his  Christian  friends, 
and  to  the  missionaries,  that  it  was  the  preaching 
of  the  doctrine  of  predestination  that  was  the 
means  of  his  conversion  to  God,     As  the  doc- 


64  L  I  F  E     O  F 

trine  had  been  useful  in  the  hand  of  the  Spirit  to 
rouse  his  soul  to  a  sense  of  his  danger,  and  to 
constrain  him  to  seek  in  earnest  for  divine  mer- 
cy and  gracious  influence,  it  was  natural  for 
him  to  think  that  occasionally  and  scripturally 
to  preach  it,  is  calculated  to  awaken  others. 
He  used  to  reason  thus :  if  it  be  a  truth,  it  must 
have  been  revealed — if  revealed,  it  is  fit  men 
should  believe  it ;  if  they  must  believe  it,  the 
doctrine  should  be  preached.  Besides,  certain 
minds  require,  he  used  to  remark,  strong  and 
powerful  sentiments  to  rouse  their  attention  and 
awaken  their  conscience.  If  men  are  taught, 
that  they  are  in  danger  of  being  lost,  but  that 
the  remedy  is  in  themselves,  the  representation 
is  awfully  deceptive — for  the  first  part  of  the 
sentence  is  much  weaker  than  the  Scriptures 
represent  the  subject,  and  the  other  part  is  alto- 
gether untrue.  The  man  who  believes  such  a 
representation,  is  in  danger  of  procrastinating 
that  to  some  future  time  which  should  employ 
all  the  powers  of  his  soul  immediately.  But  if 
he  believes  that  he  is  now  lost,  for  "  Christ 
came  to  seek  and  to  save  that  which  is  lost" — 
that"  he  who  has  oflfended  in  one  point  is  guilty 
of  all" — that  "he  who  believeth  not  is  con- 
demned already,  the  wrath  of  God  abideth  on 
him" — and  that,  in  consequence  of  man's  mo- 
ral  depravity,   "  no  man  can  come   to   Christ, 


CAPT.     JAMES     WILSON.  65 

except  the  Father  draw  him ;"  or,  in  other 
words,  if  the  man  believes  that  he  is  ruined, 
and  that  it  depends  solely  on  the  grace  and 
mercy  of  God  whether  he  shall  be  saved,  he  is 
most  likely  to  be  alarmed  and  at  once  to  fly  to 
the  refuge  set  before  him  in  the  Gospel. 

In  the  explanatory  observations,  it  was  staled, 
1.  By  predestination  is  intended  that  wise,  holy, 
good,  and  sovereign  arrangement  which  God 
purposed  in  himself,  and  in  which  he  predeter- 
mined whatsoever  should  come  to  pass ;  but, 
more  especially,  it  is  the  gracious  determination 
of  his  will,  to  save  those  whom  he  foreknew  or 
approved,  by  delivering  them  from  the  condem- 
nation of  his  law,  through  the  justifying  righte- 
ousness of  his  Son;  and,  by  the  influence  of 
his  grace  subduing  and  finally  eradicating  sin, 
and  restoring  the  lost  image  of  God  in  their 
souls. 

2.  Predestination  does  not  suppose  a  number 
of  abstract  decrees,  but  a  connected  and  harmo- 
nious arrangement  of  purposes.  It  does  not 
decree  effects  without  causes,  ends  without 
means,  volitions  without  motives;  so  that  no 
one  would  be  justified  in  reasoning,  as  some 
thoughtless  and  ignorant  persons  say  the  doc- 
trine would  justify  us  in  doing:  "If  God  has 
predestinated  us  to  be  saved,  we  shall  be  so, 
whatever  we  believe,  and  however  we  act." 
7 


66  L  I  F  E     O  F 

Nothing  can  be  more  absurd  or  inconsistent 
with  this  doctrine  than  such  reasoning,  because 
the  apostle  declares,  "  whom  he  did  foreknow, 
them  he  also  did  predestinate  to  be  conformed 
to  the  image  of  his  Son;^^  none  can  be  saved, 
therefore,  who  is  not  conformed  to  the  image  of 
Christ,  and  he  was  "  meek  and  lowly  of  heart, 
holy,  harmless,  and  separate  from  sinners."  He 
who  has  decreed  the  salvation  of  a  soul,  has 
predetermined  that  it  shall  believe,  repent,  be 
holy,  and  finally  be  made  perfect  in  love  ;  he 
has  appointed  the  reading  of  the  Scriptures,  the 
keeping  the  Sabbath,  the  hearing  of  his  word, 
and  prayer,  as  means  by  which  these  ends  are 
to  be  effected,  and  he  has  also  promised  the  in- 
fluence of  his  Spirit,  as  the  great  cause  by  which 
all  is  to  be  finally  accomplished. 

3.  Predestination  does  not  even  interfere 
with,  much  less  destroy,  the  free  exercise  of 
the  human  will.  Men  sin  voluntarily,  and  all 
acceptable  religious  services  must  be  the  free 
exercise  of  the  will.  Though  grace  influences 
the  will,  it  does  not  force,  but  inclines  it,  by 
the  motives  of  the  Gospel  meeting  and  agreeing 
with  the  renewed  dispositions  of  the  heart,  and 
hence  the  motives  become  operative  on  a  pious 
or  renewed  soul,  which  have  no  influence  on  a 
wicked  or  unregenerated  one. 

It  is  said,  when  Satan  came  to  Christ  he 


CAPT.    JAMES    WILSON.  67 

found  nothing  in  him.  The  motives  Satan  had 
to  present  to  him,  met  with  nothing  correspond- 
ing with  them,  in  his  holy  mind,  and  hence  the 
motives  produced  no  effect;  so,  on  the  contrary, 
when  motives  to  holiness  and  the  service  of 
God  are  presented  to  a  bad  man,  they  find  no- 
thing in  his  heart  corresponding  to  them,  and, 
consequently,  they  have  no  influence. 

Though  a  man's  conversion  to  God,  therefore, 
be  the  result  of  predestination,  yet  predestina- 
tion has  not  effected  the  freedom  of  his  will;  for 
he  as  freely  wills  to  be  righteous  and  serve 
God  now,  as  he  before  freely  willed  to  be 
wicked  and  disobey  him.  Besides,  no  one  is 
influenced  by  the  decrees  of  predestination,  as 
motives  of  his  conduct,  seeing  no  one  can  be 
acquainted  with  them,  as  they  are  the  secrets  of 
the  divine  will. 

4.  Predestination  affords  no  ground  for  pre- 
sumption, or  for  putting  things  out  of  that  order 
which  infinite  wisdom  has  assigned.  The  re- 
vealed will  of  God  is  the  rule  of  faith  and  con- 
duct, and  not  his  secret  will.  The  doctrine  no 
more  justifies  a  person  in  attempting  to  break 
the  constituted  order  of  things  in  moral  and  re- 
ligious subjects,  than  in  natural  ones.  He  who 
has  rendered  air  essentially  necessary  to  respi- 
ration, and  food  for  human  sustenance,  and  both 
essential  to  the  maintenance  of  animal  life,  has 


68  LIFE    OF 

rendered  failh,  repentance,  and  obedience  essen- 
tial to  salvation,  not  as  conditions  in  the  sense 
some  present  them,  but  as  constituent  parts  of 
salvation,  as  the  others  are  constituent  parts  of 
human  life.  It  would  be  as  much  in  vain  to  ex- 
pect salvation  without  these  constituent  parts, 
as  for  men  to  expect  the  continuance  of  life 
without  air  and  food. 

5.  Predestination,  properly  understood,  pre- 
sents no  inducements  to  indolence  on  the  one 
hand,  or  despair  on  the  other,  but  the  contrary. 
Because  I  learn  from  the  nature  of  things,  that 
it  is  preordained  that  air  should  refresh  me,  I 
go  into  it ;  that  water  should  quench  my  thirst, 
I  drink  it;  and  that  fire  should  warm  me,  I  ap- 
proach it.  Because  God  has  predetermined 
that  faith  should  be  connected  with  salvation,  I 
endeavour  to  believe,  and  because  prayer  is  to 
be  followed  by  answers,  we  offer  them.  The 
doctrine  can  be  no  just  cause  even  of  discourage- 
ment, much  less  of  despair,  because  no  one  can 
understand  what  are  the  purposes  of  God,  till 
events  have  discovered  them;  and  the  promise 
is  absolute  that  all  who  seek  shall  find,  and  all 
who  ask  shall  receive,  and  the  promise  is  as 
much  a  part  of  the  scheme  of  predestination,  as 
the  blessing  promised,  and  surely  the  blessing 
of  the  promise  being  absolutely  and  immediately 
certain  to  them  that  believe,  can  afford  no  cause 


CAPT.    JAMES    WILSON.  69 

of  discouragement  to  faith.  A  man  who  knows 
the  depravity  of  his  own  heart  and  the  mutabi- 
lity of  his  best  resolutions,  wall  feel  encouraged 
from  considering  that  his  final  salvation  is  de- 
pendant on  God,  not  on  himself. 

6.  The  doctrine  of  predestination  accounts 
for  many  events  which  appear  very  unaccount- 
able without  it.  Some  persons  appear  to  be 
singled  out  by  Providence,  by  a  peculiar  train 
of  occurrences,  and  are  preserved  amidst  a 
thousand  deaths,  even  while  they  are  in  rebel- 
lion against  the  Divine  Being,  and  at  length 
they  are  truly  converted  to  God.  Others  are 
brought  to  genuine  repentance  under  the  first 
sermon  they  hear,  while  others  continue  to  hear 
the  word  for  years  with  awful  indifference  and 
to  no  saving  benefit.  The  ways  of  Providence 
are  inscrutable  upon  any  scheme  of  doctrine,  but 
they  are  more  easily  accounted  for  on  that  of 
predestination,  than  upon  any  other.  "Even 
so.  Father,  for  so  it  seemeth  good  in  thy  sight," 
is  a  principle  to  which  the  reflecting  mind  must 
revert,  while  contemplating  the  divine  govern- 
ment with  reference  to  almost  all  events,  re- 
specting itself  or  others.  It  is  by  banishing 
contingencies  or  chance  from  our  system  of 
faith,  and  tracing  every  thing  up  to  the  sove- 
reign, infinitely  wise,  and  all  controlling,  but 
righteous  will  of  God,  that  the  mind  is  resigned 
7* 


70  LIFE    OF 

to  afflictive  dispensations,  and  calm  amidst  ter- 
rific circumstances  —  "It  is  the  Lord,  let  him 
do  what  seemeth  him  good" — "  Shall  not  the 
Judge  of  the  whole  earth  do  right?" — "The 
Lord  gave  and  the  Lord  hath  taken  away,"  is 
language  that  shows  our  reason  and  will  are 
prostrate  before  the  throne  of  God,  resolving  all 
into  the  will  of  him  who  has  a  right  to  say,  "  my 
counsel  shall  stand,  and  I  will  do  all  my  plea- 
sure." 

Lastly  :  There  is  nothing  in  the  doctrine  of 
predestination,  properly  understood,  that  is  a  re- 
flection upon  the  justice  or  goodness  of  God, 
unless  it  could  be  proved  that  the  events  of  Pro- 
vidence are  reflections  upon  his  justice  and 
goodness;  for  the  occurrences  of  every  day  and 
of  every  province  exhibit  instances,  which  can- 
not be  reduced  to  any  standard  that  such  objec- 
tions would  erect  of  the  justice  of  God.  It  is 
as  difficult  to  account  for  tiie  facts  of  the  sufl^er- 
ings  of  children,  in  body,  mind,  and  circum- 
stances, on  account  of  the  conduct  of  their 
parents,  of  the  sufferings  of  nations,  arising  from 
the  cruel  conduct  of  a  few  individuals,  or  of  the 
wretched  slavery  of  one  great  part  of  mankind 
to  the  other,  and  of  innumerable  favours  being 
conferred  by  Providence  upon  some  parts  of  the 
world  which  are  withheld  from  the  other,  as  it 
is  to  account  for  the  doctrine  of  predestination  : 


CAPT.    JAMES     WILSOX.  71 

this  shows  that  men  have  incorrect  ideas  of  the 
divine  justice.  To  suppose  that  the  Divine 
Being  is  bound  by  any  principle  of  justice  to 
exercise  mercy  upon  a  race  of  rebels  against  his 
government,  is  to  suppose  an  absurdity;  for  this 
would  resolve  all  his  kindness  to  his  creatures 
into  acts  of  justice,  which  necessarily  destroys 
the  idea  of  mercy;  and  this  involves  another 
absurdity,  that  to  exercise  justice  in  any  case 
would  be  an  act  of  injustice.  To  suppose  that 
because  God  is  pleased  to  exercise  mercy  to- 
wards any  of  the  rebels  in  his  dominions,  it 
would  be  injustice  to  the  rest  if  he  did  not  ex- 
ercise mercy  towards  them,  is  not  only  limiting 
the  Almighty  by  denying  to  him  the  preroga- 
tive exercised  by  every  supreme  governor  in  the 
world,  which  is  that  of  displaying  his  sove- 
reignty in  the  discrimination  of  the  objects,  and 
the  ends  of  mercy,  and  of  suffering  justice  to 
take  its  course  as  to  others;  but  it  is  to  suppose 
that  the  act  of  mercy  towards  the  first  indivi- 
dual that  was  pardoned,  rendered  it  necessary, 
in  order  to  preserve  the  honour  of  the  Divine 
character,  that  all  the  rest  should  be  pardoned ; 
which  converts  what  was  an  act  of  mercy  in  the 
first  instance  into  an  act  of  justice  in  every  sub- 
sequent case ;  this  also  shows  that  some  rea- 
soners  have  very  mistaken  conceptions  of  the 


72  LIFE    OF 

divine  justice.  The  supposition  that  this  doc- 
trine is  a  reflection  on  the  justice  of  God  pro- 
bably arises  from  two  causes;  first,  from  the 
want  of  a  deep  and  proper  sense  of  the  evil  and 
demerit  of  sin,  and  next  from  the  unwillingness 
of  the  human  heart  to  submit  to  the  absolute 
and  unlimited  sovereignty  of  the  Divine  Being ; 
which  is  a  principle  so  deep  in  human  nature  as 
not  to  be  fully  discovered,  and  so  extensive  in 
its  operation  as  not  only  to  arraign  the  truths  of 
revelation  at  its  bar,  but  also  the  ways  of  Pro- 
vidence and  to  "judge  the  justice  of  our  God." 

1.  As  an  explanation  of  this  subject  was  prin- 
cipally intended  by  introducing  it  here,  it  is 
unnecessary  to  say  more  by  way  of  proof,  than 
simply  to  state  that  the  truth  of  the  doctrine 
was  argued  from  its  being  reasonable,  that  the 
Divine  Being  should  propose  to  himself  some 
ultimate  end  of  all  his  works,  that  his  glory 
should  be  that  end,  and  that  every  thing  and 
every  event  should  be  made  conducive  to  it. 
An  ultimate  end  to  be  accomplished  supposes  a 
design,  a  design  supposes  an  arrangement  of 
parts  and  operations,  an  arrangement  supposes 
a  determination,  and  the  work  is  the  result  of 
the  whole,  this  is  what  is  intended  by  predesti- 
nation. This  argument  is  not  only  collected 
from  the  operations  of  the  human  mind  in  its 


CAPT.     JAMES      WILSON.  73 

progress  to  the  accomplishment  of  some  design, 
but  is  evident  from  the  works  of  creation  and 
providence. 

2.  It  was  argued  from  the  admission  of  the 
divine  prescience  or  foreknowledge.  To  deny 
his  foreknowledge,  is  to  deny  one  of  the  perfec- 
tions of  his  nature,  and  what  in  the  Scriptures 
he  claims  as  his  distinguishing  prerogative;  but 
as  it  is  observed  by  a  great  writer  on  this  sub- 
ject, "  Tliere  can  be  no  prescience  of  future  con- 
tingencies, for  it  involves  a  contradiction  to  say, 
things  which  are  not  certainly  to  be,  should  be 
certainly  foreseen.  If  they  are  certainly  fore- 
seen, they  must  certainly  be,  and  can  therefore 
be  no  longer  contingent.  An  uncertain  fore- 
sight is  also  an  imperfect  act,  as  it  may  be  a 
mistake,  and  is  therefore  inconsistent  with  divine 
perfection.  On  the  other  side  the  difficulty  is 
easily  explained.  When  God  decrees  that  an 
event  shall  take  place,  its  existence  becomes 
thenceforth  certain,  and  as  such,  is  certainly 
foreseen.  For  it  is  an  obvious  absurdity  to  say 
that  a  thing  happens  freely,  that  is  to  say,  that  it 
may  or  may  not  be,  and  yet  that  it  is  certainly 
foreseen  by  God.  He  cannot  foresee  things  but 
as  he  decrees  them,  and  consequently  gives 
them  a  certainty  of  future  existence;  and,  there- 
fore, any  prescience  antecedent  to  his  decree 
must  be  rejected   as   impossible.     Conditional 


74  L  I  F  E     O  F 

decrees  are  farther  absurd,  inasmuch  as  ihey 
subject  the  purposes  of  God  to  the  will  and 
action  of  his  creatures.  Infinite  perfection  can 
wish  nothing  but  what  it  can  execute,  and  if  it 
is  fit  to  wish,  it  is  fit  to  execute  its  wishes." 

3.  It  was  argued  from  ^-he  express  language 
of  the  Scriptures,  and  from  its  being  evident  that 
the  apostle  Paul  intended  to  establish  the  doc- 
trine, not  only  from  the  arguments  he  used,  but 
from  his  anticipating  and  replying  to  the  objec- 
tions usually  urged  against  it ;  the  apostle's  rea- 
sonings in  the  first  of  the  Ephesians,  and  in  the 
eighth,  ninth,  and  eleventh  chapters  of  the  Ro- 
mans, were  cited  in  confirmation  of  the  doc- 
trine. 

The  use  of  the  doctrine  teaches  those  who 
believe  it,  to  admire  the  harmony,  the  irresisti- 
ble energy,  and  the  immutable  stability,  of  the 
divine  government.  It  afl^ords  encouragement 
for  prayer,  by  accounting  for  its  efficacy,  show- 
ing that  the  prayer,  the  promise,  and  the  bless- 
ing are  inseparably  connected  in  the  purpose  of 
God,  and  therefore  constantly  united  in  the 
divine  conduct  and  in  our  experience.  It  lays 
a  firm  basis  for  faith,  confidence,  and  hope  of 
whatever  God  has  promised,  as  it  teaches  us 
that  his  infinite  wisdom,  his  all-controlling  ener- 
gies, and  liis  immutable  fidelity  are  all  engaged 
to  accomplish  these  promises.     If  some  of  the 


CAPT.     JAMES     WILSON.  75 

promises  bear  a  conditional  aspect,  the  condition 
of  one  promise  is  the  blessing  absolutely  en- 
gaged by  another. 

The  doctrine  presents  us  with  many  power- 
ful motives  to  employ  every  faculty  we  possess, 
in  working  out  our  salvation,  for  it  is  God  that 
worketh  in  us  both  to  ivill  and  to  do  of  his  good 
pleasure,  and  we  are  persuaded  that  he  who  has 
begun  the  good  work  will  perform  it  till  the  day 
of  Jesus  Christ.  "  He  is  of  one  mind,  and  who 
can  turn  him,  and  what  his  soul  desireth,  that 
he  doeth.  Jesus  Christ,  the  same  yesterday, 
to-day,  and  for  ever." 

The  doctrine  affords  the  strongest  induce- 
ments to  holiness  of  heart  and  conduct,  for  we 
are  predestinated  to  be  conformed  to  the  image 
of  his  Son ;  that  we  should  be  holy  and  with- 
out blame  before  him  in  love ;  that  we  should 
apprehend  that  for  which  we  are  apprehended 
of  Christ  Jesus ;  and  that  we  should  be  to  the 
praise  of  his  glory.  Now  if  the  subordinate 
ends  are  not  accomplished  or  accomplishing,  we 
have  no  just  cause  to  expect  the  ultimate  end 
will  be  accomplished  in  us  ;  hence  the  induce- 
ments to  self-examination,  to  much  and  fervent 
prayer,  and  to  an  earnest  striving  to  enter  in  at 
the  strait  gate. 

Lastly  :  The  doctrine  affords  various  reasons 


76  L  I  F  E     O  F 

for  submission  to  afflictive  dispensations,  and 
patience  lo  wait  the  issue  ;  for  "  the  vision  is 
for  an  appointed  time,  but  thougli  it  tarry,  it 
shall  speak  and  not  lie  " 

The  doctrine  is  indeed  full  of  much  holy  and 
practical  improvement,  but  it  is  acknowledged 
that  it  is  abused  by  those  who  reject  it,  by  ma- 
king those  who  believe  it,  answerable  for  con- 
sequences which  they  utterly  disavow,  and  by 
their  denial  of  the  sovereignly  of  God,  and 
making  events  contingent,  which  the  word  of 
God  assures  us  are  certain.  But  ihe  most  fatal 
abuse  to  many  is,  that  prosuniing  on  their  own 
inherent  ability,  independent  of  the  special 
grace  of  God,  they  rely  upon  the  exertion  of 
their  ability  at  some  future  period,  and  thus 
from  season  to  season  they  continue  to  procras- 
tinate the  work;  and  in  consequence  of  depend- 
ing on  their  own  strength,  they  neglect  earnestly 
to  seek  for  that  divine  influence,  which  is  pro- 
mised to  lliose  who  ask  for  it,  till  death  closes 
the  scene,  and  places  the  soul  on  that  side  of  the 
gulf,  mentioned  by  our  Lord,  from  whence 
prayers  are  never  answered. 

Those  who  believe  the  doctrine,  were  cau- 
tioned not  to  abuse  it,  by  viewing  the  subject  in 
abstract  parts,  and  separating  eflfects  from  their 
cause — (luiies  frou)  privileges — the  end  from  the 
means — sin  from  sufferinij — and  holiness  from 


CAPT.     JAMES     WILSON.  77 

happiness — for  God  having  united  lliem  in  his 
purposes,  we  must  unite  them  in  practice. 

They  were  cautioned  against  attempting  to 
pry  into  secret  things,  and  of  being  wiser  than 
what  is  written,  for  "  secret  things  belong  to 
God,  and  revealed  things  to  us  and  our  chil- 
dren." Could  they  read  the  book  of  purposes 
as  clearly  as  the  book  of  revelation,  no  one  diffi- 
culty would  be  removed  from  the  mind,  but  it 
mast  still  submit  to  the  divine  sovereignty  and 
wait  in  faith  for  the  accomplishment  of  his  will ; 
and  lastly,  those  who  were  under  concern  about 
eternal  realities,  and  were  desirous  of  salvation, 
were  cautioned  against  drawing  conclusions  un- 
favourable to  themselves ;  for  whatever  their 
doubtful  minds  might  imagine  respecting  the 
secret  purposes  of  God,  there  can  be  nothing 
contrary  to  the  word  of  God,  and  its  language 
is,  "  all  that  the  Father  giveth  me,  shall  come 
to  me,  and  him  that  comelh,  I  will  in  no  wise 
cast  out."  "  God  so  loved  the  world,  that  he 
gave  his  only  begotten  Son,  that  whosoever  be- 
lieveth  on  him  should  not  perish,  but  have  eter- 
nal life." 

This  sermon  was  listened  to  by  Captain  Wil- 
son with  a  fixed  attention,  which  excited  the 
observation  of  those  who  sat  near  him,  and  es- 
pecially of  the  minister  in  the  pulpit.  The  sen- 
timents produced  a  conflict  of  feelings  in  the 
8 


78  L  I  F  E    0  F 

breast  of  the  Captain,  like  what  we  may  con- 
ceive to  have  been  the  conflict  of  the  primary 
elements  of  nature,  when  blended  in  chaos, 
each  striving  to  obtain  its  situation  and  influ- 
ence in  the  universe.  His  memory,  reason, 
conscience,  imagination,  and  passions,  were  all 
in  agitation.  His  prejudices  for  and  against  the 
doctrine,  his  hopes  and  fears,  his  love  and  ha- 
tred, his  pleasures  and  disgusts,  raised  a  storm 
in  his  soul,  resembling  the  concussion  of  the 
elements  in  a  hurricane;  for  while  his  heart 
rose  in  hatred  against  the  sovereignty  of  God, 
the  events  of  his  whole  life  appeared  before 
him  as  incontrovertible  evidences  of  its  truth. 

The  impassioned  strains  in  which  the  con- 
cUiding  part  of  the  sermon  was  addressed  to  the 
auditory,  representing  the  infinite  compassion 
of  the  Saviour,  his  long  sufl'ering  with  sinners, 
the  various  and  persevering  methods  he  used  to 
bring  them  to  repentance,  and  his  inexpressible 
readiness  to  receive  and  pardon  all  that  applied 
to  him  for  mercy,  drew  tears  from  those  eyes, 
which  had  never  wept  during  the  long  and 
almost  unparalleled  sufferings  he  had  endured 
under  Hyder  Ali.  These  silent  tears,  which 
he  endeavoured  to  suppress,  and  which  he  was 
afraid  to  wipe  otf,  lest  he  should  excite  obser- 
vation, drew  tears  of  benevolent  joy  from  the 
eyes  of  his   friend  that  sat  opposite  him,  who 


CAPT.     JAMES     WILSON.  79 

heard  the  sermon  more  for  the  Captain  than 
himself,  and  spent  a  great  part  of  the  time  in 
turning  its  principles  into  earnest  supplications 
for  his  spiritual  welfare. 

When  the  service  was  ended,  he  declined 
giving  any  opinion,  and  showed  a  reluctance  to 
enter  into  conversation  on  the  subject;  but  when 
alone,  he  felt  discomposed,  and  agitated  with  re- 
flections, though  he  scarcely  knew  to  what  he 
should  attribute  them;  at  one  time  he  was  angry 
with  himself,  for  allowing  his  feeling  to  carry 
him  away;  again,  he  thought  it  could  be  no- 
thing else  than  the  impressions  of  the  Deity 
upon  his  mind,  or  the  coincidence  of  the  prin- 
ciples explained  in  the  sermon,  with  the  circum- 
stances of  his  life.  He  was  thus  alternately 
agitated  by  speculations  on  the  truths  he  had 
heard,  and  by  the  emotions  they  had  excited. 
While  reason  and  conscience,  on  the  one  hand, 
suggested  that  he  ought  patiently  to  investigate 
the  matter,  and  if  found  to  be  truth,  then  to  em- 
brace and  acknowledge  it :  the  notion  of  enthu- 
siasm on  the  other,  and  the  dread  of  becoming 
an  object  of  ridicule,  returned  with  increased 
force,  and  determined  him  to  resist  the  current. 
The  painful  remembrance  of  former  sins,  and 
the  fearful  apprehensions  of  futurity,  recurred 
to  aggravate  this  internal  conflict.  On  their  way 
home,  he  appeared  very  serious :  and  observed 


80  LIFE     OF 

to  his  niece,  "  If  what  I  have  heard  to-day  be 
true,  I  am  a  lost  man."  With  great  affection 
she  began  to  present  the  bright  side  of  Chris- 
tianity to  his  mind,  assuring  him  that  he  would 
soon  find  more  pleasure  in  believing  it,  than  he 
had  ever  found  from  the  world. 

He  now  became  exceedingly  pensive  and 
thoughtful;  the  Bible  and  religious  books  formed 
his  constant,  and  almost  his  only  companions. 
He  attended  regularly  and  punctually  the  place 
of  worship,  joined  with  fervour  in  the  service, 
and  seemed  wholly  absorbed  in  the  inquiry, 
What  shall  I  do  to  be  saved?  This  change  in 
his  principles  he  soon  manifested  to  his  ac- 
quaintance, by  a  change  in  his  habits.  But 
though  he  was  ardent  and  sincere  in  his  desires 
for  eternal  life,  still  he  imagined  he  might  be- 
lieve in  Christianity,  without  altogether  renoun- 
cing the  world ;  as  he  was  acquainted  with 
many  who,  though  they  professed  to  be  zealous 
Christians,  yet  mingled  in  gay  society,  without 
losing  or  impairing  their  religious  impressions. 
He  was  persuaded,  therefore,  that  it  was  not  ne- 
cessary to  abandon  his  former  associates;  and 
that  he  might  frequent  their  company,  with  a 
view  to  their  religious  improvement,  without 
going  all  the  accustomed  lengths  of  gaiety.  For 
a  time  he  accepted  their  invitations,  and  received 
their    visits ;    but    endeavoured    to    carry    his 


CAPT.     JAMES     WILSON.  81 

purpose  into  execution,  by  making  every  enter- 
tainment subservient  to  their  spiritual  edifica- 
tion. With  one,  he  would  converse  on  the  truth 
of  the  Bible,  and  the  necessity  of  practising 
what  it  enjoins.  With  another,  he  would  speak 
of  the  sin  and  folly  of  swearing,  and  taking  the 
Lord's  name  in  vain.  To  a  third,  he  repre- 
sented the  importance  and  sanctity  of  the  Sab- 
bath, and  the  guilt  of  not  keeping  it  holy.  To 
some  of  the  loquacious  ladies,  he  hinted  some 
doubts  whether  all  the  anecdotes  they  related  of 
their  neighbours  were  quite  correct,  and  whether 
they  might  not  bear  a  more  favourable  construc- 
tion than  they  gave  them.  On  some  occasions, 
he  even  ventured  to  mention  the  certainty  of 
death,  judgment,  and  a  future  state ;  and  to 
make  allusions  and  applications,  intimating  that 
he  thought  it  their  duty  to  consider  these  sub- 
jects. 

For  a  while  he  supposed,  from  the  silence 
with  which  he  was  heard,  that  his  conversations 
had  made  some  useful  impression,  and  that  this 
intimacy  might  be  continued  with  advantage ; 
but  he  soon  found  that  his  gay  associates  pro- 
fited little  by  his  exhortations,  and  only  vvanted 
an  opportunity  to  rally  their  forces,  and  turn  the 
current  of  ridicule  against  him.  One  remarked, 
from  the  solemn  cast  of  his  countenance,  that 
he  was  surely  very  ill,  and  about  to  die — ano- 
8* 


82  LIFE    OF 

ther  thought  him  excellently  qualified  for  the 
Methodist  Chapel — another  took  the  Lord's 
name  in  vain,  and  then  apologized.  The  lady 
he  had  questioned,  as  lo  the  correctness  of  her 
reports  against  some  who  were  not  of  her  party, 
had  no  doubt  but  he  would  soon  turn  parson, 
and  that  she  would  see  him  with  a  white  wig 
on  a  white  horse ;  while  a  witty  officer  kept 
the  company,  for  an  hour  at  a  time,  in  a  roar  of 
laughter,  by  relating  a  number  of  amusing  anec- 
dotes about  the  Puritans  and  Methodists. 

The  Captain  found  the  artillery  of  wit  which 
he  had  often  poured  on  others,  now  returned  on 
himself.  He  frequently  tried  to  stem  the  tor- 
rent by  argument;  at  other  times  he  attempted 
to  go  with  it,  by  joining  in  the  laugh  till  it  had 
spent  itself,  but  all  in  vain.  They  were  re- 
solved either  to  rout  him  out  of  his  strange  no- 
tions, or  to  laugh  him  out  of  their  society;  but 
as  they  could  not  do  the  former,  they  gradually 
accomplished  the  other,  by  breaking  off  the 
connexion.  This  convinced  him  at  length,  that 
it  is  impossible  to  serve  two  masters — that  there 
is  no  communion  between  light  and  darkness — 
and  that  a  faithful  and  sincere  Christian  is  con- 
strained to  come  out  from  among  the  world,  and 
to  be  separate.  But  though  one  class  of  society 
shunned  his  acquaintance,  he  soon  found  that 
another  as  eagerly  courted  it.     Many  rejoiced 


CAPT.     JAMES     WILSON.  oS 

to  hear  of  his  conversion,  were  solicitous  for  his 
spiritual  welfare,  and  cheerfully  aided  his  mind 
in  its  researches  after  evangelical  and  experi- 
mental truth. 

As  he  had  now  much  leisure,  he  occupied 
his  time  chiefly  in  reading,  and  in  receiving  oc- 
casional visits  from  his  minister.  Most  of  the 
principal  works  on  the  evidences  of  Chris- 
tianity, he  studied  with  great  attention;  until  he 
had  obtained  such  a  firm  persuasion  of  the  truth 
of  revelation,  as  to  declare  that  nothing  in  the 
world,  not  even  Satan,  with  all  his  principali- 
ties and  powers  could  persuade  him  that  the 
Bible  was  not  the  word  of  the  Most  High  ; 
neither  could  any  thing  have  weaned  him  from 
his  errors,  so  completely  as  that  precious  volume 
had  done.  He  read  the  Scriptures  daily  with 
better  understanding,  and  with  increased  de- 
light. 

Like  most  young  Christians,  however,  his 
faith  was  occasionally  obscured,  and  his  soul  in- 
volved in  doubt  and  despondency.  Reflection 
and  self-examination  taught  him  to  discover  in 
himself  many  deficiencies.  Sometimes  he  be- 
gan to  question,  whether  his  knowledge  were 
not  merely  theoretical,  the  effect  of  human,  in- 
stead of  divine  teaching;  whether  his  pleasures 
in  religion  were  not  the  excitements  of  mere 
human  passions,  instead  of  the  exercise  of  pure 


84  L  I  F  E     O  F 

and  heavenly  affections:  whether  his  confidence 
in  the  divine  promises  were  not  presumption, 
and  his  zeal  for  God  the  mere  offspring  of  no- 
velty or  self-applause.  But  time,  the  corrector 
of  mistakes,  and  a  proper  course  of  reading, 
soon  relieved  his  mind  from  its  perplexities,  and 
gave  him  clearer  views  of  the  warrant  of  faith, 
and  the  nature  of  Christian  experience.  Though 
he  perceived  that  the  sanctification  of  the  Spirit 
forms  the  evidence  of  our  meetness  for  heaven, 
and  is  as  essentially  necessary  to  salvation,  as 
an  interest  in  the  justifying  righteousness  of 
Christ;  he  likewise  saw  that  the  atonement  of 
the  Redeemer,  and  the  promises  of  God,  con- 
stitute the  foundation  of  our  hopes  of  accept- 
ance with  him.  On  this  basis,  he  was  enabled 
to  build  the  superstructure  of  his  faith,  hope, 
and  practice;  and  when  the  evidences  of  grace 
became  weak  and  indistinct,  he  had  recourse  to 
these  first  principles,  to  revive  and  strengthen 
them. 

Early  in  the  year  1796,  he  was  admitted  a 
member  of  the  congregation  of  Portsea,  where 
he  gave  diligent  and  exemplary  attendance,  al- 
though his  residence  was  ten  miles  from  the 
place  of  worship.  As  he  was  naturally  of  an 
active  and  benevolent  turn  of  mind,  and  perceiv- 
ed clearly  that  the  design  of  God,  in  imparting 
divine  grace  to  the  heart,  was  not  only  to  save 


CAPT.    JAMES     WILSON.  86 

the  individual,  but  to  make  him  the  means  of 
saving  others,  it  began  to  be  a  subject  of  consid- 
erable anxiety  with  him,  and  even  an  evidence 
of  his  being  a  true  Christian,  whether,  and  how 
far  his  faith  would  induce  him  to  exercise  this 
benevolence  in  behalf  of  others.  And  to  such 
reflections  as  these,  is  to  be  ascribed  the  reason 
for  his  ofl*ering  himself  to  the  Missionary  Socie- 
ty, to  conduct  their  first  expedition  to  the  islands 
of  the  Pacific  Ocean. 

The  thought  is  said  to  have  originally  occur- 
red to  his  mind,  from  a  sermon  which  he  had 
heard  on  the  faith  of  Abraham,  in  leaving  his 
country  and  his  friends  at  the  call  of  God,  not 
knowing  whither  he  went.  While  meditating 
on  the  subject  in  his  own  garden,  and  reviewing 
other  circumstances  of  the  patriarch,  he  was 
much  aflfected  at  the  wonders  wrought  by  faith ; 
and  admired  the  devotedness  and  self-denial  of 
the  worthies  recorded  by  the  writer  of  the  Epistle 
to  the  Hebrews.  These  contemplations  led  him 
to  contrast  his  own  faith  with  theirs,  and  to  ask 
the  question,  whether,  if  called  in  providence  to 
suffer  or  to  serve  like  them,  he  could  as  readily 
give  up  all  for  Christ,  and  go  forth  at  the  divine 
bidding? 

In  a  few  weeks  an  opportunity  seemed  to 
oflfer  of  putting  the  strength  of  his  principles  to 
the  test.     He  observed  in  the  Evangelical  Ma- 


86  LIFE     OF 

gazine,  an  account  of  a  design  to  form  a  Mis- 
sionary Society  in  London,  and  to  convey  the 
Gospel,  if  possible,  to  the  islands  in  the  South 
Seas.  He  approved  of  the  project,  and  it  struck 
his  mind  very  forcibly,  whether,  if  he  Avere 
called  upon  to  take  the  command  of  the  expedi- 
tion, he  could  freely  devote  himself  to  the  ser- 
vice, and  embark  once  more  on  the  deep ;  not 
in  quest  of  worldly  substance,  but  to  carry  to 
heathen  lands,  treasures  more  valuable  than  the 
gold  of  nations.  He  felt  at  the  moment  that 
he  could  do  it  with  pleasure ;  he  perceived  his 
faith  equal  to  the  sacrifice  ;  that  he  could  quit 
his  present  comforts,  encounter  the  perils  of  the 
ocean,  and  brave  all  the  dangers  and  difficulties 
to  which  such  an  enterprise  must  necessarily 
expose  him. 

He  determined  to  accompany  his  minister  to 
the  general  meeting  of  the  Hampshire  Associa- 
tion of  Ministers,  to  be  held  at  Salisbury ;  for 
the  purpose,  among  other  objects,  of  deciding  on 
the  intended  mission,  and  promoting  its  accom- 
plishment. But  the  result  tended  rather  to 
damp  and  discourage  his  zeal ;  for  although 
they  were  unanimously  in  favour  of  the  mis- 
sionary attempt,  and  highly  applauded  his  desire 
to  promote  so  glorious  a  cause,  they  could  en- 
tertain but  little  hopes  that  his  services  would 
ever  be  required;  as  it  seemed  to  them  improba- 


CAPT.     JAMES     WILSON.  87 

ble  that  a  ship  would  ever  be  employed  solely 
for  that  purpose. 

A  brighter  prospect,  however,  soon  opened 
up.  The  first  general  Missionary  Meeting  was 
announced  to  take  place  at  London,  in  order  to 
consult  what  steps  were  proper  to  be  pursued, 
at  the  commencement  of  so  great  an  undertaking. 
The  Captain  resolved  to  make  one  of  the  party. 
He  listened  with  serious  attention  to  the  dis- 
courses and  speeches  that  were  delivered  on  the 
occasion ;  and  their  deliberations  not  only  met 
with  his  cordial  approbation,  but  had  the  effect 
of  fully  deciding  his  mind  on  the  subject.  He 
solicited  an  interview  with  one  of  their  leading 
members,  which  he  readily  obtained.  After 
some  conference  concerning  the  mission,  he  in- 
timated with  great  modesty  and  diffidence,  but 
with  a  firm  decision  of  purpose,  that  if  the  So- 
ciety could  not  find  a  better  conductor,  which 
he  wished  and  hoped  they  might,  the  service 
should  not  be  impeded  for  lack  of  nautical  skill, 
and  that  he  was  ready,  without  any  other  reward 
than  the  satisfaction  resulting  from  the  service, 
to  devote  himself  to  the  work,  whatever  incon- 
venience to  liimself  it  might  be  attended  with. 

A  letter  was  immediately  addressed  to  the 
president  of  the  meeting  in  the  Captain's  name, 
offering  his  services  to  the  Society.  A  com- 
mittee of  the  Directors  was  appointed  to  con- 


88  L  I  F  E     O  F 

verse  with  him.  They  were  equally  charmed 
with  his  modesty,  ability,  zeal,  and  devotedness 
of  heart  to  the  work  ;  and  concurred  in  opinion, 
that  nothing  could  tend  more  powerfully  to  the 
accomplishment  of  their  designs,  than  having 
such  a  man  to  command  the  vessel  that  should 
convey  the  missionaries  to  the  place  of  their  des- 
tination. It  seemed  to  them  an  omen  of  success, 
that  God  was  thus  raising  up,  in  different  places, 
men,  unknown  to  each  other,  for  the  fulfilment 
of  his  own  gracious  purposes  towards  the  hea- 
then. The  off'er  was,  therefore,  embraced  by 
the  committee  with  delight,  and  seemed  to  ani- 
mate their  confidence,  that  God  would  provide 
all  other  necessary  means  for  the  equipment  and 
execution  of  the  enterprise. 

The  Captain  was  next  presented  to  the  Di- 
rectors, and  his  demeanour  at  once  confirmed 
the  reports  they  had  heard  of  his  character,  and 
his  fitness  for  the  service  in  which  he  had  vo- 
lunteered. It  was  their  unanimous  opinion, 
that  a  man  more  highly  qualified  for  the  task 
could  not  be  hoped  for,  if  tliey  had  sought  the 
whole  island.  They  found  him  in  all  his  man- 
ners a  gentleman — a  mien  that  was  command- 
ing— an  age  yet  in  the  vigour  of  manhood,  with 
the  maturity  of  experience — and  withal,  an  ami- 
able diffidence,  that  seemed  only  conquerable 
by  the  calls  of  the  mission,  and  the  deep  impres- 


CAPT.     JAMES     WILSON.  By 

sions  resting  on  his  own  heart.  After  the  lapse 
of  a  few  months,  which  were  spent  in  seeking 
out  and  examining  missionaries,  providing  funds, 
and  taking  other  preparatory  measures,  Captain 
Wilson  was  informed  of  the  resolution  the  So- 
ciety had  come  to,  of  making  the  attempt  in  a 
ship  to  be  purchased  by  themselves,  and  re- 
questing him  to  undertake  the  command. 

The  affair  having  arrived  at  this  state  of  ma- 
turity and  decision,  the  Captain  sold  his  house 
at  Horndean,  fixed  his  niece  in  London,  and 
went  thither  himself  to  superintend  and  forward 
the  necessary  preparations. 

About  this  time  he  wrote  to  his  friend  at 
Portsea,  describing  the  state  of  his  mind. 

London,  June  28,  1796. 

*'  My  Dear  Friend — According  to  my  pro- 
mise, I  write  to  inform  you,  of  a  ship  having 
been  purchased  yesterday  afternoon.  1  this 
morning  took  possession.  She  is  the  first  rate 
vessel  of  her  burden  in  the  river,  but  when  I 
tell  you  she  cost  five  thousand  pounds,  you  will 
think  she  ought  to  be  a  good  one.  Such  is  the 
high  value  of  ships  at  present,  that  I  think  she 
is  worth  what  we  gave  for  her.  She  is  river 
built,  two  years  old,  copper  bottomed  and  fast- 
ened, and  a  complete  vessel  for  our  purpose.  I 
cannot  help  observing  that  it  will  require  all  the 
9 


90  LIFE     OF 

well  wishers  of  the  cause  to  exert  themselves  to 
the  utmost — but  why  should  I  talk  thus?  Has 
He  not  power  to  command  the  gold,  that  com- 
manded such  a  rebellious  wretch  as  I  was,  to  be 
willing  in  the  day  of  his  power? 

*'  Praise  be  to  God  for  all  his  mercies.  Were 
it  not  for  the  many  precious  promises,  I  know 
not  what  I  should  do,  for  it  is  really  hard  part- 
ing from  all  those  we  fondly  love,  and  entering 
into  a  sea  of  trouble  and  perplexity.  I  look 
back  on  my  past  life  with  pain,  to  my  future 
pilgrimage  I  look  with  fear  and  trembling,  but 
to  that  slate  where  we  shall  all  meet,  and  every 
tear  be  wiped  from  our  eyes,  I  look  with  a 
pleasing  hope,  that  I  shall  be  one  of  that  happy 
number,  that  God  in  his  great  mercy  has  cho- 
sen. This  cheers  my  drooping  spirits  and 
causes  me  to  press  onward  to  the  prize,  forget- 
ting the  past  and  the  present,  and  looking  only 
to  the  future  for  real  happiness. 

"  Had  I  thought  I  should  have  been  held  up 
to  public  view,  as  I  have  been  by  some  of  my 
friends,  I  should  most  certainly  never  have 
offered  myself,  but  now  there  is  no  retreating. 

"I  therefore  trust  that  the  Lord  will  strength- 
en me  for  the  work,  and  enable  me  to  accom- 
plish it  to  his  praise  and  glory.  Ah  !  my  wor- 
thy and  dear  friend,  you  say  what  I  now  expe- 
rience: 'New  engagements    and   new  circum 


CAPT.    JAMES   WILSON.  91 

Stances  will  cause  new  trials.'  I  am  persuaded 
that  even  at  this  .^arly  stage  of  the  business,  I 
have  seen  more  of  the  human  heart,  than  I 
should  have  known  for  years  in  the  calm  retreat 
of  a  country  life,  but  knowledge  is  of  little  use 
if  it  does  not  influence  the  heart.  If  1  do  not 
deceive  myself,  I  think  I  feel  more  humble,  and 
find  Jesus  more  precious  than  ever,  and  a  throne 
of  grace  the  greatest  consolation  I  can  enjoy. 
"  I  am  your  aff'eclionate  brother  in  Christ, 

J.  Wilson." 

London,  July  27,  1796. 

*'  My  Very  Dear  Friend — I  have  just  time 
to  tell  you,  I  received  your  kind  and  aflfectionate 
letter;  it  came  at  a  very  suitable  time.  I  had 
just  returned  from  the  India  House,  where  I 
met  with  the  severest  ridicule ;  but  blessed  be 
God,  I  bore  it  with  patience,  and  I  trust  this  is 
some  proof,  that  he  will  bear  me  up  through 
every  trial  and  difficulty. 

"  I  find  my  mind,  though  severely  pained, 
yet  quite  resigned  to  the  will  of  my  gracious 
God  and  Father,  and  can  look  up  to  him  for  a 
supply  of  grace  and  strength  in  the  trying  hour 
of  parting.  You  are  mistaken,  my  dear  friend, 
respecting  my  inward  conflicts;  I  have  never 
been  more  assaulted  by  the  great  adversary, 
since  I  professed  to  believe  the  truth  as  it  is  in 


92  LIFE    OF 

Jesus,  than  I  have  recently;  but  blessed  be  his 
name,  he  has  kept  me,  though  I  have  been  con- 
strained to  cry  out,  "  O  wretched  man  that  I 
am,  who  shall  deliver  me  from  the  body  of  this 
death.'  My  inward  and  outward  trials  keep  me 
very  low,  but  I  trust  the  Lord  will  enable  me  to 
carry  his  people  to  the  furthermost  parts  of  the 
globe.  Should  he  bless  me  thus  far,  I  trust  I 
shall  then  be  able  to  resign  my  all  into  his 
hands ;  for  the  only  thing  I  wish  now  to  live 
for  is  to  promote  his  glory. — Your  affectionate 
letter  I  shall  peruse  when  I  am  many  leagues 
from  you,  and  will  follow  your  kind  advice. 

"  I  hope  the  Lord  will  be  with  you  of  a  truth. 
I  shall  be  on  my  knees  at  half-past  six  on  the 
morning  you  allude  to,  for  the  purpose  of  pray- 
ing for  you  ayd  my  church,  through  whose  in- 
strumentality I  have  received  such  unspeakable 
blessings. 

"I  am  ever,  ever,  your  affectionate  friend, 

J.  Wilson." 

He  sought  out  and  purchased  a  proper  vessel, 
which  cost  565000 ;  engaged  the  mariners,  and 
took  an  active  share  in  every  thing  connected 
with  his  department.  The  ship,  which  was 
called  the  Duff,  was  manned  by  three  principal 
officers,  besides  a  gunner,  carpenter,  steward, 
and  sail-maker,  fifteen  sailors,  and  the  captain ; 


CAPT.     JAMES     WILSON.  93 

most  of  whom  made  a  profession  of  being  under 
the  influence  of  Christian  principles.  In  her 
were  embarked,  four  ordained  ministers,  a  sur- 
geon, with  twenty-five  other  missionaries,  or 
settlers,  who  had  for  the  most  part  been  em- 
ployed in  business  or  mercantile  engagements, 
highly  necessary  to  impart  the  principles  and 
habits  of  civilization  to  the  South  Sea  Islanders. 
Besides  these,  there  were  six  women,  wives  of 
some  of  the  missionaries,  and  three  children. 

Several  of  the  directors  visited  the  ship,  and 
crowds  of  pious  people,  who  left  a  variety  of 
presents,  either  for  the  missionaries  or  for  the 
natives.  The  zeal  of  Captain  Wilson  burned 
with  all  the  fervour  of  a  first  impression ;  and 
he  declared  himself  astonished,  after  what  he 
had  seen  and  heard,  that  none  of  the  prominent 
ministers  in  London  should  oflTer  to  go  as  mis- 
sionaries. He  was  equally  surprised  that  any, 
who  were  not  absolutely  bound  by  circum- 
stances, and  had  felt  the  power  of  truth,  and 
knew  the  state  of  the  heathen  world,  could  quiet- 
ly remain  in  England,  while  millions  abroad 
were  perishing  for  lack  of  knowledge. 

The  novelty  of  the  scheme,  and  the  publicity 
given  to  the  whole  proceedings,  excited  a  very 
general  and  lively  interest  in  their  design.  It 
was  a  new  event  in  the  Protestant  Church,  for 
an  expedition  to  be  wholly  employed  in  convey- 
9* 


94  L  I  F  E     O  F 

ing  the  messengers  of  divine  truth  to  the  most 
distant  part  of  the  globe.  By  this  means,  the 
attention  and  the  benevolence  of  the  public  were 
attracted,  in  a  manner  such  as  they  never  could 
have  been,  had  the  Society  been  more  limited 
and  private  in  this  first  outset  of  its  operations. 
It  was  of  immense  importance  to  the  missionary 
cause,  that  they  should  commence  on  such  a 
scale,  and  with  an  embassy  so  well  calculated  to 
excite  an  interest  in  the  religious  world :  and  to 
this  partly  may  be  ascribed  that  universal  diffu- 
sion of  the  missionary  spirit,  which  has  since 
imparted  its  energies  to  so  large  a  portion  of 
Christendom,  and  lighted  up  a  sacred  flame, 
which  has  not  only  continued  to  blaze  in  Eng- 
land, but  spread  to  many  of  the  churches  on  the 
continents  of  Europe  and  America. 

Whether  the  islands  in  the  South  Seas  were 
the  most  eligible  spot  that  could  have  been 
pitched  upon  for  making  this  experiment,  it  is 
needless  now  to  inquire;  yet  it  cannot  be  denied, 
that  the  situation  possessed  many  advantages. 
Their  extreme  distance,  and  the  glowing,  and 
even  exaggerated  descriptions  of  them,  which 
represented  them  as  equalling,  in  natural  charms, 
all  that  the  imagination  conceives  of  the  Elysian 
fields,  or  the  primeval  paradise,  threw  an  air  of 
adventure  and  romantic  anticipation  over  the 
enterprise,  that  tended  to  increase  the  popula- 


CAPT.     JAMES     WILSON.  95 

rity  of  the  subject.  The  station  was,  besides, 
one  that  could  create  no  jealousy  or  opposition, 
nor  give  the  smallest  possible  offence  to  the 
English  or  to  any  other  government,  or  national 
church  upon  earth.  Perhaps  there  was  no  other 
place  to  which  the  attention  and  energetic  ope- 
rations of  the  Society  could  have  been  directed, 
at  that  perturbed  period  of  the  world,  without 
exciting  alarm  or  opposition  from  some  quarter 
or  other. 

The  character  of  the  mission,  and  the  object 
which  it  professed,  soon  dispelled  any  unfavour- 
able suspicions  that  might  have  been  entertained 
against  it,  and  obtained  for  its  agents  and  its 
transactions,  not  merely  public  confidence,  but 
even  official  patronage  and  protection.  In  pro- 
ducing this  effect,  the  conduct  of  Captain  Wil- 
son, his  skill  as  a  navigator,  his  prudence  in 
presiding  among  the  missionaries,  and  his  suc- 
cess in  the  voyage,  it  must  be  admitted,  con- 
tributed in  no  small  degree.  He  certainly  had 
an  arduous  task  to  perform ;  sucii  as  made  seve- 
ral aged  and  experienced  Christians  tremble  for 
the  ark  of  God,  and  the  event  of  the  expedition. 
He  had  duties  to  discharge,  which  required 
great  diversity  of  talents,  and  even  opposite 
qualifications.  Among  the  sailors,  he  had  to 
maintain  authority  and  command,  and  yet  con- 
duct himself  towards  them  as  a  brother  in  Christ. 


96  LIFE     OF 

Among  the  missionaries,  he  had  to  superintend 
their  arrangements,  and  preside  in  their  meet- 
ings and  debates.  His  authority  on  the  quarter- 
deck, was  here  to  be  softened  down  into  Chris- 
tian meekness,  and  the  character  of  commander 
exchanged  for  that  of  a  counsellor  and  a  friend. 
Such  a  situation  required  great  firmness  and 
decision  of  mind,  and  yet  much  real  kindness 
and  pliability  of  temper. 

On  the  10th  of  August,  1796,  the  expedition 
sailed  from  the  river  Thames,  having  for  their 
flag,  hoisted  at  the  mizen-top-gallant-mast-head, 
three  doves  argent,  on  a  purple  field,  bearing 
olive  branches  in  their  bills.  At  Spithead, 
where  the  Captain  joined  her  and  took  the  com- 
mand, they  were  detained,  waiting  for  wind  or 
convoy,  for  some  weeks.  On  the  23d  of  Sep- 
tember, the  convoy  being  at  length  ready,  the 
Dufi',  in  company  with  more  than  fifty  others, 
weighed  anchor,  wafted  by  propitious  winds, 
and  under  the  auspices  of  the  efiectual  fervent 
prayers  of  many  thousands  of  British  Christians. 
The  Captain  was  furnished,  by  the  Directors, 
with  an  excellent  letter  of  instructions,  by  which 
he  was  to  regulate  his  conduct,  as  far  as  it  might 
be  expedient,  both  with  respect  to  the  voyage 
itself,  and  also  with  relation  to  the  establishment 
of  the  mission.  Although  Otaheite  was  the  place 
destined  for  making  the  first  attempt,  their  plan 


CAPT.     JAMES     WILSON.  97 

embraced  a  field  of  much  greater  extent.  The 
Friendly  Islands,  the  Marquesas,  the  Sandwich, 
and  the  Pelew  Islands,  were  specified  as  com- 
ing within  the  limits  of  their  enterprise,  and  as 
being  desirable  stations  for  planting  the  know- 
ledge of  the  Gospel. 

Within  six  days  after  her  departure,  the  Duff 
passed  the  Island  of  Madeira;  on  the  14lh  of 
October,  she  touched  at  St.  Jago;  and  on  the 
12th  of  November,  she  cast  anchor  in  the  har- 
bour of  Rio  de  Janeiro,  from  whence  the  cap- 
tain addressed  the  following  letter,  giving  an 
account  of  himself  and  the  voyage,  to  his  friend 
at  Portsea : 

Rio  de  Janeiro,  Nov,  15,  1796. 

"  My  Dear  and  Rev.  Friend — Were  you 
near  the  Directors,  I  would  refer  you  to  their 
letter  for  information ;  but  as  that  is  not  the 
case,  I  will  give  you  all  I  can.  We  sailed  from 
you  on  Friday  the  23d  of  September,  and  on  the 
following  Sunday  we  lay  to  off  Falmouth ;  and 
on  the  30th  a  fresh  wind  springing  up  from  the 
north  east,  I  thought  it  a  favourable  opportunity 
of  parting  with  the  convoy,  by  which  we  had 
been  considerably  detained.  In  six  days  after- 
wards, we  passed  the  Island  of  Madeira,  and 
on  the  14th  of  October,  cast  anchor  in  Porto 
Praya  Bay,  in  the  Island  of  St.  Jago.     After 


98  L  I  F  E     O  F 

getting  our  water-casks  filled,  and  obtaining 
other  refreshments,  we  sailed  the  next  day,  so 
that  you  will  see  there  was  no  time  lost.  At 
this  place,  and  the  two  following  days  we  expe- 
rienced the  hottest  weather,  and  then  the  ther- 
mometer was  only  77  degrees,  and  when  imme- 
diately under  the  sun,  which  was  in  latitude  16° 
south  it  was  72 — 30.  Thus  you  see  how  ex- 
ceedingly kind  our  God  has  been  to  us.  From 
the  time  we  sailed,  till  our  arrival  here,  the 
vessel  has  had  little  more  moiion  than  on  the 
day  you  and  our  friends  came  on  board  in  the 
sloop.  On  the  29th,  we  crossed  the  Equator  in 
longitude  30°  west.  Hereabout  we  had  a  few 
squalls.  These  being  what  the  missionaries 
were  not  accustomed  to,  the  first  one  alarmed 
them  very  much.  They  were  at  prayers  below 
at  eight  in  the  evening,  when  the  vessel  laying 
down  suddenly,  some  fell  to  leeward;  one  in 
particular  got  up  the  fore  hatchway,  but  before 
he  knew  where  he  was,  he  tumbled  head  fore- 
most down  the  main  without  hurting  himself. 
These  things  to  old  sailors  cause  a  great  deal  of 
mirth  when  attended  with  no  injury. 

"  We  arrived  here  on  Saturday  the  12th  in- 
stant. After  waiting  on  the  Governor,  I  could 
not  go  on  shore  again,  owing  to  the  ceremony 
of  visiting  the  ship,  which  was  not  over  till  late 
last  night.     A  fleet  bound  to  Lisbon  being  on 


CAPT.     JAMES     WILSON.  99 

the  point  of  sailing,  I  thought  it  best  to  stay  on 
board  to  write  to  you  and  the  Directors,  lest  I 
should  lose  this  opportunity.  I  mean,  if  possible, 
to  sail  from  this  place  by  Saturday  next,  as  I  wish 
to  get  to  the  field  of  action.  I  trust  the  great  Head 
of  the  Church  will  conduct  us  safely  through,  and 
give  me  wisdom  to  conduct  this  interesting  un- 
dertaking. We  must  be  infidels  indeed,  after 
experiencing  the  past  loving  kindness  of  the 
Most  High,  not  to  trust  him  for  the  future. 

"  Myself,  officers,  missionaries,  and  ship's 
company,  are  all  in  perfect  health,  blessed  be 
his  name,  who  said,  '  When  thou  goest  through 
the  waters,  I  will  be  with  thee ;'  this  promise, 
with  many  others,  we  have  fully  realized.  I 
have  had  five  of  the  missionaries  at  my  table 
every  day,  besides  giving  all  on  board  one,  and 
sometimes  two  fresh  meals  a  week,  beside  other 
refreshments  suited  to  the  climate.  Some  of  the 
missionaries  tell  me  they  have  not  tasted  salt 
meat  yet.  Their  conduct  has  really  been  very 
pleasing.  I  have  no  doubt  but  the  Lord  will  do 
good  by  them  to  the  poor  Indians.  I  am  per- 
suaded should  one  soul  be  called  to  the  know- 
ledge of  the  glorious  Gospel  of  our  blessed  God 
and  Saviour,  it  will  more  than  recompense  me 
for  all  the  dangers,  watching,  anxieties,  and 
various  privations  that  I  have  had  or  may  have 
to  endure  in  this  long  voyage.    I  feel  my  mind 


100  LIFE     OF 

prepared  to  act  as  circumstances  offer;  I  am 
persuaded  that  God  has  called  me  to  this  work, 
and  that  he  will  carry  me  through  it.  I  know, 
my  dear  friend,  in  my  own  strength  I  can  do 
nothing  right,  but  as  the  apostle  says,  *  I  can  do 
all  things  through  Christ  who  strengtheneth  me.' 
"  The  Bible  is  no  cunningly  devised  fable, 
though  I  may  have  my  doubts  at  times  of  ray 
personal  interest  in  the  glorious  work  of  redemp- 
tion, yet  not  all  the  men  in  the  world,  nor  Satan 
with  all  liis  principalities  and  powers,  can,  or 
ever  will,  I  trust,  be  able  to  persuade  me  that  it 
is  not  the  word  of  the  Most  High.  Nothing  in 
this  life  could  so  completely  have  weaned  me 
from  the  things  and  maxims  of  this  world,  as 
this  precious  volume  has  done  since  I  have 
been  enabled  to  believe  it  to  be  the  word  of 
God.  I  have  not  had  yet  a  single  wish  for  any 
of  my  temporal  blessings  left  behind,  and  the 
only  fear  1  have  had  has  been  that  the  Lord 
would  not  prosper  the  work  in  my  hands.  I 
have  been  often  afraid  lest  I  should  not  please 
the  Society ;  but  now,  though  conscious  of  al- 
ways offending,  I  can  go  and  plead  with  my 
great  Employer,  my  own  ignorance  and  insuffi- 
ciency, and  earnestly  intreat  for  more  wisdom 
and  strength  according  to  his  promises.  This, 
my  dear  friend,  is  part  of  my  experience  since 
I  left  you ;  I  trust  I   have  an   interest  in  your 


CAPT.     JAMES     WILSON.  101 

prayers  and  in  those  of  the  church.  Give  my 
Christian  love  and  affectionate  regards  to  them 
all.  My  continual  prayer  to  God  for  them  is, 
that  they  may  live  in  brotherly  love,  and  that 
they  may  stir  up  each  other  to  act  more  and 
more  like  king's  sons  and  daughters,  and  not  to 
choke  the  good  seed  with  over  anxious  cares 
for  the  things  of  this  world.  This  will  pain 
their  consciences  and  fret  their  souls  till  they 
are  as  lean  as  Pharaoh's  cattle.  I  trust,  my 
dear  friend,  as  the  Lord  has  placed  you  over  his 
vineyard,  you  will  be  careful  to  destroy  those 
injurious  weeds.  I  know  you  cannot  do  this  of 
yourself,  but  what  you  have  to  do,  is  to  use  the 
means,  to  cry  aloud  and  spare  not,  and  leave 
consequences  with  your  Master. 

"  I  would  have  written  to  my  friend  Mr. 
Eastman,  but  I  think  as  I  have  written  you 
every  particular,  and  am  very  much  engaged, 
he  will  excuse  it;  give  my  Christian  love  to 
him  and  to  all  his  family — let  me  hear  from 
you  at  Canton  in  China.  Give  my  love  to  all 
my  Christian  friends  in  your  neighbourhood. 
The  Lord  bless  you ;  guide  you  ;  prosper  and 
preserve  you,  is  tb.e  fervent  and  sincere  prayer 
of  your  affectionate  broiher  in  Christ, 

J.Wilson." 

The  officers,  missionaries,  and  whole  ship's 
10 


102  LIFE     OF 

company  were  in  perfect  health ;  their  conduct 
had  been  in  every  respect  pleasing;  and  all  en- 
tertained the  most  sanguine  hopes  of  success. 
After  receiving  a  plentiful  supply  of  provisions, 
they  left  that  port  on  the  19ih;  but  finding  it 
impossible,  from  tempestuous  weather,  to  beat 
round  Cape  Horn,  they  bore  away  to  the  east- 
ward, to  go  by  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope,  and 
after  nearly  circumnavigating  the  globe,  they 
landed  at  Otaheite,  after  a  voyage  of  five  months, 
on  the  4h  of  March,  1797;  where  they  were 
received  in  the  most  friendly  manner. 

This  island,  as  well  as  most  of  the  others 
which  are  spread  over  the  vast  expanse  of  the 
Southern  Ocean,  had,  thirty  years  previous  to 
the  arrival  of  the  Duff,  been  repeatedly  visited 
by  Europeans,  who  were  traversing  those  unex- 
plored regions,  either  for  the  purpose  of  enlarg- 
ing the  boundaries  of  science,  or  with  the  hope 
of  discovering  new  and  promising  fields  for 
commercial  speculation.  Wth  one  or  other  of 
these  objects  in  view,  a  succession  of  adven- 
turers, among  whom  were  Wallis,  Cook,  Bligh, 
and  Edwards,  besides  several  continental  navi- 
gators, had  paid  occasional  visits,  and  kept  up  a 
friendly  intercourse  with  these  remote  islanders; 
although  the  only  return  they  received  for  their 
attachment,  appears  to  have  been  a  knowledge 
of  some  of  the  arts  and  vices  of  civiliztd  life; 


CAPT.     JAMES     WILSON.  103 

and  the  communication  of  diseases  that  had  di- 
miii  shed,  and  seemed  to  threaten  the  extinction 
of  the  whole  race.  A  nobler  object  had  enga- 
ged the  attention  of  the  present  expedition. 
They  came  to  communicate  the  word  of  life; 
the  greatest  blessing,  and  the  most  inestimable 
gift  that  was  ever  imparted  to  mankind.  It  was 
not  avarice  or  science  that  had  attracted  them  to 
these  distant  shores ;  but  the  desire  of  repair- 
ing the  injuries  and  miseries  which  Europeans 
had  partly  occasioned,  of  presenting  them  with 
a  remedy  against  their  moral  and  spiritual  de- 
gradation, and  saving  their  souls  as  well  as  their 
bodies  from  destruction. 

The  missionaries,  before  landing,  had  made 
all  necessary  arrangements,  and  separated  them- 
selves into  divisions,  according  to  their  respec- 
tive establishments.  Eighteen  were  allotted  for 
Otaheite,  ten  for  the  Friendly  Islands,  and  two 
for  the  Marquesas.  Those  destined  for  Otaheite, 
were  immediately  provided  by  the  chiefs  with 
suitable  accommodations.  Nothing  could  have 
exceeded  the  kindness  and  attention  of  the  na- 
tives. Their  deportment  was  frank  and  peace- 
ful. Every  day  they  attended  worship,  and 
listened  with  seriousness  to  such  addresses  as 
their  instructers  were  able  to  make  to  them, 
through  an  interpreter. 

As  soon  as  they  were  fixed  in  permanent  and 


104  LIFE     OF 

commodious  settlements,  the  Duff  sailed  for  the 
Friendly  Islands,  and  on  the  9th  of  April,  they 
made  the  harbour  of  Tongataboo.  Here  the 
missionaries  disembarked,  and  it  was  their  good 
fortune  to  be  received  with  the  same  respectful 
and  hospitable  treatment;  they  were  taken  under 
the  protection  of  the  government ;  a  house  and 
a  portion  of  land  was  furnished  them,  and  no 
attempts  were  made  to  molest  either  their  per- 
sons or  their  property.  The  remainder  of  the 
mission  proceeded  on  their  voyage  to  the  Mar- 
quesas ;  leaving  their  brethren  perfectly  content 
with  their  situation,  and  thankful  for  the  kind 
reception  they  had  experienced  from  the  na- 
tives. At  this  place,  the  last  two  of  the  breth- 
ren were  settled ;  and  though  there  was  not 
the  same  appearance  of  comfort  and  fertility  as 
in  the  other  islands,  they  experienced  an  equal 
degree  of  respect  and  kindness  from  the  inha- 
bitants. 

The  following  letter  was  received  from  Cap- 
tain Wilson  from  China,  which  is  inserted  be- 
cause it  gives  an  epitome  of  the  voyage,  in  the 
laconic  and  unvarnished  language  of  the  Cap- 
tain. 

To  Joseph  Hardcastle,  Esq. 

Canton,  December  16,  1797. 

"  Dear  Sir — I  wrote  to  you  last  from  Rio 
Janeiro,  dated  the  15lh  of  November,  which  I 


Ca[pT.     JAMES    WILSOM.  105 

hope  you  received,  informing  the  Society  how 
kind  our  heavenly  Father  had  been  in  wafting 
us  so  far  in  perfect  heahh  and  safety;  we  can 
now  further  say,  from  experience,  that  he  has 
never  left  us  from  that  time  to  this.  At  present 
I  can  only  give  you  the  outhnes  of  our  voyage, 
which  no  doubt  you  will  be  all  glad  to  hear. 

"  After  receiving  a  plentiful  supply  of  every 
thing  needful,  which  I  was  able  to  pay  for, 
having  cash  of  my  own,  we  left  that  port  on  the 
19th.  From  that  time  to  the  3d  of  December, 
nothing  material  happened,  only  the  weather 
getting  gradually  colder.  But  the  Lord  showed 
us  we  were  going  the  wrong  way  by  sending  a 
severe  gale  from  the  south.  We  could  now  see 
that  to  beat  round  Cape  Horn  would  be  folly  to 
attempt.  After  shipping  several  heavy  seas,  by 
which  we  lost  some  of  our  live  stock,  we  bore 
up  to  go  by  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope.  This 
was  a  great  trial,  being  in  latitude  30,  and  lon- 
gitude 50  west,  and  having  now  a  line  to  run  of 
262  degrees  in  longitude,  besides  latitude.  How- 
ever, we  had  soon  reason  to  rejoice,  for,  by  the 
24th  of  January,  1797,  we  were  in  longitude 
133  east.  Had  we  laid  to  another  night,  ere 
we  bore  away,  we  must  have  lost  all  our  stock ; 
instead  of  which,  the  Missionaries  had  fresh 
meat  twice  a-week  all  the  way,  besides  dining 
with  me,  as  before  related,  and  though  we  had 
10* 


106  LIFE    OF 

repeated  gales  we  never  had  occasion  to  batten 
down  our  hatches  once  :  add  to  this  the  inesti- 
mable blessing  of  the  public  ordinances  of  our 
God,  and  the  Missionaries  every  means  of  im- 
provement. Thus  were  we  carried  along  in  a 
most  pleasing  manner.  On  the  30th  of  January 
we  rounded  New  Zealand,  and  on  the  4th  March 
made  Otaheite  ;  but,  from  various  winds,  we  did 
not  anchor  in  Matavia  till  the  6th,  where  we 
were  received  in  the  most  friendly  manner. 

"Here  mark  the  dealings  of  Providence:  a 
large  house,  which  the  natives  had  built  for 
Captain  Bligh,  was  just  finished;  the  whole 
island  in  perfect  peace ;  (Pomarre  and  his  son 
Otoo  being  absolute  sovereigns  of  this  island  and 
of  Eimeo,)  thus  our  business  was  expedited  ;  for 
instead  of  many  chiefs,  as  we  expected,  we  had 
only  to  make  our  errand  known  to  Pomarre. 
This  we  were  fully  able  to  do,  our  God  having 
kept  two  Europeans  for  the  purpose,  the  other 
having  gone  to  Europe;  one  of  them,  whose 
name  is  Peter,  had  left  the  Daedalus,  the  other, 
named  Andrew,  was  cast  away  in  the  Matilda, 
and  had  been  five  years  on  the  island — both 
could  talk  the  language  fluently.  Our  reasons 
for  coming  were  no  sooner  made  known  to  Po- 
marre, than  he  said  wo  should  not  only  have  the 
house,  which  is  a  hundred  feet  by  forty,  but 
that  all  Matavia  should  be  given  to  the  English, 


CAPT.    JAMES    WILSON.  107 

which  was  accordingly  done  in  the  most  formal 
manner. 

"  After  having  thus  succeeded  far  beyond  our 
expectation,  it  is  now  necessary  that  I  should 
acquaint  you  that,  some  time  before  we  made 
the  land,  the  Missionaries  had  divided  in  the 
following  manner:  eighteen  for  Otaheite,  be- 
sides women  and  children  ;  ten  for  the  Friend- 
ly Islands,  and  two  for  the  Marquesas.  This 
being  the  case,  we  had  no  time  to  spare.  As 
soon,  therefore,  as  1  saw  them  in  their  commo- 
dious house,  we  sailed  for  Eimeo,  with  a  view 
to  get  the  ship  ready,  but  more  particularly  to 
see  how  the  natives  would  behave  during  the 
absence  of  the  ship.  After  five  days  we  return- 
ed—  found  them  all  well,  the  natives  having 
treated  them  with  the  utmost  kindness.  Having 
no  time  to  spare,  we  made  all  sail  to  the  Friend- 
ly Islands.  This  was  on  the  26th  of  March. 
On  the  1st  of  April  we  made  Palmerston  Islands, 
and  on  the  ninth,  Tongataboo.  The  next  day 
we  anchored  about  the  place  Captain  Cook  lay, 
according  to  his  bearings.  The  anchor  was  no 
sooner  gone  than  the  ship  was  surrounded  with 
canoes.  A  number  of  chiefs  came  on  board, 
who  informed  us  that  two  Europeans  were  on 
the  island,  and  to  our  great  joy  they  soon  made 
their  appearance;  but  of  all  the  men  we  ever 
gaw,  these  were  certainly  the  most  wicked  look- 


108  LIFE    OF 

ing  fellows,  and  they  soon  gave  us  proof  lliey 
were  as  bad  as  they  appeared  to  be.  One  of 
them  was  an  Irishman,  named  John  Kennelly, 
the  other  Benjamin  Ambler,  of  London.  They 
told  us  a  strange  story  respecting  their  coming 
to  these  islands,  but  this  was  a  matter  of  little 
consequence  to  us,  firmly  believing  that  the 
Lord  had  sent  them  as  our  interpreters ;  for 
though  we  had  provided,  as  we  thought,  suffici- 
ent instruments  for  the  purpose,  by  bringing 
Peter  and  two  Otaheiteans  with  us,  we  should 
have  been  much  at  a  loss,  the  language  differing 
so  much,  that  they  could  not  understand  one 
word  in  ten:  but  these  two  men.  Ambler  and 
Kennelly,  who  had  been  only  thirteen  months 
on  the  island,  speak  the  language  well.  After 
some  time  our  business  was  partly  told  them. 
They  readily  agreed  to  give  all  the  assistance 
in  their  power.  x\fter  giving  them  and  the 
chiefs  presents,  they  all  went  on  shore,  appa- 
rently highly  satisfied.  Very  early  the  next 
morning,  we  were  surrounded  with  a  prodigious 
number  of  single  canoes,  besides  ten  or  twelve 
large  double  ones.  From  the  peaceful  manner 
they  left  us  the  night  before,  v/e  had  not  the 
least  suspicion,  until  the  two  Europeans  came 
and  told  us  they  intended  to  take  the  ship. 
This,  you  may  easily  conceive,  alarmed  us  very 
much.     We  got  the  people  to  their  quarters  as 


CAPT.     JAMES     WILSON.  109 

privately  as  possible.  After  getting  thus  ready, 
we  scaled  two  of  our  guns  ;  on  this,  the  large 
canoes  began  to  sheer  off,  and  a  number  of  sin- 
gle ones  followed.  Whether  their  intention 
was  really  to  attack  us  we  know  not — but  it 
was  very  alarming  to  see  so  many  canoes  and 
people  round  the  vessel,  presenting  their  clubs 
and  spears  for  sale,  which  might  in  a  moment 
be  turned  against  us. 

"  Our  lears  in  a  great  measure  being  done 
away,  Ambler  pointed  out  four  chiefs  which  he 
said  were  the  only  ones  we  need  care  for. 
Tibo  Mamoe,  the  present  king,  was  then  at  the 
point  of  death,  and  his  son  Tugahowe,  the  least 
of  the  four,  would  certainly  succeed  his  father, 
which  afterwards  proved  to  be  so,  he  would 
therefore  recommend  the  Missionaries  being 
placed  under  his  care.  After  talking  with  them 
on  the  subject  they  readily  agreed  to  go.  I  told 
them  they  could  not  expect  to  keep  their  chests, 
and  if  they  were  the  least  afraid  I  would  take 
them  back  to  Otaheite.  Their  answer  was,  that 
property  was  only  a  secondary  object  with 
them,  that  they  would  go  in  an  humble  depend- 
ance  on  that  God  who  had  brought  them  safe 
over  the  mighty  ocean,  and  had  enabled  them  to 
leave  their  country  and  their  friends.  After  a 
most  solemn  season  in  prayer,  six  of  them  went 
with  the  chief  and  Ambler,  but  not  before  they 


110  LIFE     OF 

promised  they  should  want  for  nothing.  The 
other  chiefs  wanted  each  to  have  one,  but  we 
thought  it  best  for  the  present  they  should  all 
be  together,  promising  ihem  that  when  the  ship 
returned,  if  they  then  chose  to  separate,  each 
should  have  some  of  them — this  satisfied  them 
all.  Having  received  various  presents  they  all 
went  on  shore  before  dark,  and  all  the  canoes 
left  us.  The  next  morning  we  weighed  and  ran 
further  out,  that  we  might  have  plenty  of  room 
in  case  of  an  attack.  About  noon,  two  of  the 
Missionaries  returned  with  the  pleasing  intelli- 
gence that  the  natives  did  not  attempt  to  steal, 
but  treated  them  with  the  greatest  respect.  We 
then  loaded  the  canoes  with  the  remainder  of 
their  things,  and  with  such  stores  as  they 
thought  they  should  want. 

"  We  now  got  under  weigh  to  endeavour  to 
find  a  channel  to  the  westward  of  the  spot  where 
Captain  Cook  got  a-ground.  After  some  time  a 
very  good  one  was  found,  which  we  sailed 
through.  This  we  conceived  to  be  a  valuable 
acquisition,  as  we  should  now,  in  case  of  being 
attacked,  be  able  to  sail  out  of  the  harbor  either 
to  the  east  or  west.  Being  now  without  the 
reefs,  we  intended  to  spend  two  or  three  days 
to  see  how  the  natives  would  behave  to  our  peo- 
ple; but  the  Lord  saw  fit  to  send  us  a  smart 
gale  from  the  north-west,  so  that  at  day  light 


CAPT.     JAMES     WILSON.  Ill 

we  found  ourselves  in  a  critical  situation,  not 
being  able  to  weather  the  reefs  on  either  tack ; 
but  to  our  comfort  we  just  fetched  the  channel 
which  we  had  discovered  only  the  day  before, 
and  thus  we  narrowly  escaped  shipw^-eck.  Be- 
fore we  cleared  the  harbor  we  were  nearly  cast 
away  a  second  time.  What  cause  have  we  to 
praise  our  God  for  thus  preserving  us  in  such 
imminent  danger.  Having  now  cleared  the  har- 
bor, April  the  16lh,  we  made  the  best  of  our 
way  towards  the  Marquesas,  with  the  only  two 
Missionaries  on  board,  Messrs.  Harris  and 
Crook.  The  fair  wind  lasted  six  days,  and  was 
succeeded  by  hard  gales  from  the  eastward,  so 
that  on  the  sixth  day  of  May,  we  were  only  in 
206  degrees  of  longitude  and  39  degrees  of  south 
latitude. 

"  On  the  23d  of  May  we  discovered  two 
islands,  on  which  we  endeavoured  to  land,  but 
the  natives  from  their  hostile  disposition  pre- 
vented us.  We  named  one  the  Crescent,  from 
its  shape,  the  other  after  Sir  Charles  Middleton; 
they  lay  in  latitude  23°  12'  south,  and  in  longi- 
tude 226°  15'  east.  The  next  day  we  discov- 
ered another  which  we  named  after  Admiral 
Gambier,  latitude  21°  36'  longitude  225°  40' 
east,  and  on  May  the  29ih,  discovered  another, 
whicli  we  called  after  our  friend  Mr.  Searle ; 
latitude  18°  18'  south,  longitude  224°   12'  east. 


112  LIFE     OF 

On  the  4lh  of  June  made  the  island  Christi- 
ana, and  the  next  day  anchored  in  Resolution 
Bay,  after  a  long  disagreeable  passage  of  fifty 
days.  Our  rigging  being  now  in  a  bad  state, 
it  was  necessary  to  get  it  on  deck.  I  shall  only 
remark,  that  on  getting  the  fore  shrouds  down 
we  found  two  of  them  gone,  so  that  had  we 
been  on  the  starboard  tack  instead  of  the  lar- 
board, during  the  gales  we  had  in  this  passage, 
we  must  have  been  dismasted.  O  what  cause 
of  gratitude  for  all  His  kindness  to  us!  We 
no  sooner  arrived  than  we  were  visited  by 
many  of  the  natives,  and  amongst  them  the 
chief,  whom,  after  a  few  visits,  we  gave  to  un- 
derstand that  the  two  Missionaries  were  to  stay 
with  him.  On  hearing  this  he  could  not  con- 
tain himself,  b-ut  jumped  about  the  cabin  for  joy. 
He  said  they  should  have  a  house,  and  that  they 
should  never  want  while  he  had  to  give.  The 
young  lad,  Crook,  went  immediately  with  the 
chief,  but  Harris  staid  on  board  to  get  the  things 
ready  as  he  said;  however,  I  am  sorry  to  say 
in  this  place,  that  though  he  was  the  first  that 
proposed  coming  to  these  islands,  and  was  the 
cause  of  two  others  not  coming,  he  seemed  now 
to  have  lost  his  missionary  spirit,  which  was 
visible  to  every  one.  After  a  little  time,  he 
went  on  shore,  but  with  such  a  gloomy  counte- 
nance,  that  the   natives  soon  look  a  dislike  to 


CAPT.     JAMES     WILSON.  113 

him.  The  youth  on  the  contrary,  was  cheer- 
ful and  obliging,  so  that  the  whole  village  was 
remarkably  fond  of  him.  In  consequence  of 
this,  I  was  under  the  necessity  of  carrying  Har- 
ris back  to  Otaheite.  I  would  have  brought 
Crook  away  likewise,  but  he  begged  to  be  left, 
v/hich  was  agreed  to,  and  I  have  no  doubt  but 
he  will  prove  a  blessing  to  those  poor  good- 
natured  heathens. 

*'  Having  now  refitted  our  rigging,  supplied 
Crook  with  every  thing  needful,  we  took  an 
affectionate  leave  of  each  other,  and  sailed  for 
Otaheite  on  the  27th  of  June.  In  our  way  we 
took  a  view  of  Trevenen's  and  Sir  Henry  Mar- 
tin's Islands,  and  arrived  in  Matavia  the  6th  of 
July,  when  I  found  them  all  well.  I  began  di- 
viding their  property,  which  I  found  a  very  dis- 
agreeable task;  this  took  up  all  the  time  I  was 
here,  but  I  got  through  it  apparently  much  to 
their  satisfaction. 

"  Having  now  completed  our  business,  we 
took  leave  of  our  dear  friends  and  the  kind  na- 
tives, the  4th  of  August,  and  touched  at  Hua- 
hine,  which  was  in  a  dreadful  state,  owing  to 
their  wars.  From  this  we  made  Palmerston 
Island,  and  planted  bread-fruit,  plantains,  and 
Ava  trees;  and  on  the  18th  of  August,  anchored 
off  Tongataboo,  nearly  in  our  old  berth.  We 
were  soon  visited  by  our  dear  people,  who  in- 
11 


114  LIFE     OF 

formed  us  they  were  all  well,  except  one,  and 
how  the  Lord  had  preserved  them  from  the  ma- 
chinations of  their  countrymen,  who  had  done 
all  in  their  power  to  make  the  poor  heathen  de- 
stroy them;  and  that  some  of  ihem  had  sepa- 
rated, (under  different  chiefs,)  with  a  view  to 
counteract  their  villainous  plots.  During  my 
stay,  Messrs.  Buchanan  and  Gallon  went  to  live 
with  another  chief,  which  I  trust  will  be  the 
means  not  only  of  gaining  their  affections,  but 
will  likewise  facilitate  the  knowledge  of  the  lan- 
guage, which  is  of  the  greatest  importance. 
After  doing  every  thing  in  our  power  with  the 
chiefs,  and  dividing  the  articles,  we  parted  with 
many  tears  on  both  sides.  I  brought  away  Mr. 
Nobbs,  by  their  advice,  as  he  had  not  his  health 
from  the  time  he  landed.  Our  intention  was 
now  to  touch  at  the  Fegee  Islands,  and  if  possi- 
ble to  have  some  intercourse  with  the  natives. 

"  On  the  7th  of  September,  we  left  Tonga- 
taboo,  and  on  the  9th,  in  the  evening,  made  the 
Fegees ;  but  after  six  days  toil,  trying  to  find 
anchorage,  we  were  under  the  necessity  of  quit- 
ting them  without  finding  any,  or  having  any 
intercourse  with  the  natives ;  yet  not  before  we 
struck  on  a  coral  rock,  but  got  off  without  re- 
ceiving any  damage.  I  believe  no  islands  in  the 
world  are  so  hemmed  in  by  dangerous  reefs. 
We  not  into  the  middle  of  them,  and  we  have 


CAPT.     JAMES     WILSON.  115 

reason  to  be  thankful  we  got  out  in  the  manner 
we  did.  In  steering  to  the  westward,  we  made 
the  Island  of  Ruttuma,  and  had  a  little  inter- 
course with  the  natives,  who  seem  to  be  of  the 
same  race  with  the  Friendly  Islanders;  liiey 
talk  the  same  language,  and  their  canoes  are  of 
the  same  construction.  From  thence  we  intend- 
ed making  the  best  of  our  way  to  the  Pelews, 
but  from  variable  winds  and  calms,  we  did  not 
reach  them  till  the  7th  of  November,  and  then 
from  the  stormy  appearance  of  the  w^eather,  we 
did  not  think  it  prudent  to  stay;  after  a  little  in- 
tercourse with  the  natives,  therefore,  we  pro- 
ceeded on  our  way  to  this  port,  with  a  view  to 
send  you  intelligence,  if  possible,  by  the  first 
ship.  We  found  on  our  arrival  at  Macao,  which 
was  the  21st  of  November,  that  we  could  not 
proceed  to  VVampoa,  without  an  authority  from 
the  Hoppo,  because  we  had  no  cargo.  Finding 
a  ship  had  been  detained  a  month,  I  went  to 
Canton,  by  which  means  we  got  permission  the 
fourteenth  day  we  anchored  at  Wampoa.  There 
are  three  of  the  last  ships  ready  for  sea^  but  I 
prefer  sending  you  this  by  a  Danish  ship — there 
are  four  direct  ships  arrived.  My  nephew  re- 
ceived a  few  lines  from  you  and  Mr.  Fenn,  but 
I  have  not  yet  received  any;  three  of  the  pack- 
ets are  not  yet  up,  and  1  could  not  think  of 
losing  this  opportunity. 


116  LIFE    OF 

"  This  brief  relation,  I  hope  will  be  satisfac- 
tory to  all  our  dear  friends,  but  you  must  make 
great  allowance  for  the  writer.  Shall  conclude 
with  only  observing,  that  as  our  work  has  been 
great,  having  been  eleven  months  out  of  four- 
teen at  sea,  the  wear  of  the  sails,  &c.  has  been 
in  proportion.  We  never  split  a  sail,  nor  car- 
ried away  a  mast.  The  seamen  and  officers  are 
in  the  ship,  all  well,  except  one  seaman,  who 
ran  from  the  ship.  I  can  give  you  no  idea  when 
we  shall  leave  this  place.  To  me  it  is  the 
worst  part  of  my  voyage,  having  to  associate 
with  the  professed  enemies  of  my  Lord,  and 
frequently  I  am  the  butt  of  the  whole  company. 

*'  May  the  Lord  increase  your  zeal,  and  pre- 
sent you  with  such  instruments  as  he  will  own 
and  bless.  This  is,  and  ever  will  be  the  sin- 
cere prayer  of,  dear  sir,  your  affectionate  ser- 
vant, J.  Wilson." 

•Having  now  established  the  missionaries  in 
their  respective  destinations.  Captain  Wilson  re- 
turned once  more  to  Otaheite,  anxious  to  know 
in  what  circumstances  he  might  find  the  breth- 
ren whom  he  had  settled  there.  The  report  he 
heard  was  in  every  respect  pleasing.  They 
had  in  general  enjoyed  good  health  ;  the  natives 
had  constantly  observed  the  same  respectful  be- 
haviour towards  them  as  at  first,  and  had  never 


CAPT.    JAMES    WILSON.  117 

failed  a  day  to  supply  them  with  abundance  of 
provisions;  as  to  the  success  of  their  religious 
labours,  it  was  a  point  of  which  they  could  not 
yet  say  much  more  than  that  appearances  were 
encouraging.  Before  taking  his  final  departure 
from  the  South  Seas,  he  again  visited  the  other 
stations,  where  he  had  also  the  satisfaction  of 
learning,  that  no  threatening  danger,  and  no  ma- 
terial obstacle  had  occurred,  to  oppose  the  glo- 
rious design  in  which  they  were  engaged ;  but 
that  a  door  for  preaching  the  word  throughout 
these  extensive  islands  was  opened  to  them, 
even  by  unexpected  and  improbable  means. 

Thus  was  the  first  expedition  of  the  Mission- 
ary Society  crowned  with  a  success  beyond 
what  they  had  ventured  to  anticipate,  and  which 
far  exceeded  their  most  sanguine  expectations. 
During  the  whole  of  their  extended  voyage  they 
lost  not  a  single  individual,  and  scarcely  ever 
had  a  sick  list.  After  traversing  more  than  twice 
the  circumference  of  the  globe,  passing  through 
climates  so  difi'erent,  amidst  shoals,  reefs,  and 
hidden  rocks,  they  not  only  escaped  dangers 
and  indispositions,  but  arrived  at  the  various 
destinations,  in  better  health  than  when  they 
quitted  their  native  shores.  By  this  experiment, 
the  way  was  opened  up,  into  the  innumerable 
groups  that  cover  the  Southern  Ocean ;  and  the 
facilities  for  extending  the  missionary  labours, 
11* 


118  LIFE    OF 

greatly  increased.  The  foundations  thus  laid, 
succeeding  adventurers  have  built  upon  with 
advantage.  The  seeds  of  knowledge  then  plant- 
ed have  struck  root,  and  spread  with  all  their 
happy  effects,  over  a  great  portion  of  these 
unenlightened  regions.  New  and  vast  countries 
around  them  have  become  accessible,  and  afford- 
ed an  inexhaustible  field  for  the  most  vigorous 
exertions  of  Christian  zeal. 

Before  finally  quitting  the  islands.  Captain 
Wilson  received  several,  both  general  and  indi- 
vidual testimonies,  of  the  affection  and  gratitude 
of  the  missionaries.  From  Tongataboo,  the  last 
island  that  he  visited,  he  received  at  his  depar- 
ture, a  very  kind  and  complimentary  letter, 
expressive  of  the  grateful  sense  they  entertained 
of  the  many  friendly  and  endearing  offices  he 
had  rendered  them,  in  the  course  of  their  long 
and  successful  voyage.  On  the  7th  of  Septem- 
ber they  left  Tongataboo,  and  proceeded,  accord- 
ing to  their  letter  of  instructions,  on  their  way 
to  Canton,  which  they  reached  about  the  14th 
of  November.  Here  Captain  Wilson  met  with 
considerable  ridicule  from  his  old  Indian  ac- 
quaintances, on  account  of  his  religious  enthu- 
siasm. The  singularity  of  the  manners  of  the 
officers,  and  ship's  crew,  likewise  excited  ob- 
servation. All  immorality  being  utterly  dis- 
countenanced, not  an  oath  heard,  and  an  unusual 


CAPT.     JAMES     WILSON.  119 

devotion  maintained,  induced  those  who  wit- 
nessed this  extraordinary  conduct,  to  signalize 
the  Duff,  by  calling  her,  The  Ten  Command- 
ments.  They  left  China  on  the  3d  of  Decem- 
ber, and  after  touching  at  the  Cape  of  Good 
Hope,  St.  Helena,  &c.  they  arrived  in  safety  in 
the  river  Thames,  on  the  lOlh  of  July,  1798; 
after  being  wafted  from  place  to  place,  in  a  most 
wonderful  manner,  and  having  sailed  nearly 
50,000  miles,  in  little  more  than  one  year  and 
nine  months. 

The  return  of  the  Duff,  and  her  successful 
voyage,  excited  an  unusual  degree  of  interest, 
and  of  gratitude  to  God,  among  the  friends  of 
the  Missionary  Society  ;  while  the  admiration  at 
the  conduct  of  the  Captain,  was  the  subject  of 
almost  universal  conversation.  On  her  arrival, 
the  fervour  of  pleasing  emotion  glowed  in  every 
bosom,  and  darted  from  individual  to  individual, 
like  an  electric  shock.  A  day  of  public  thanks- 
giving was  appointed  by  the  Society,  in  grati- 
tude for  the  singular  interposition  of  Providence, 
from  beginning  to  end  of  this  remarkable  expe- 
dition. As  a  token  of  their  respect  for  the  Cap- 
tain, and  as  a  lasting  memorial  to  his  family,  an 
elegant  representation  of  his  public  interview 
with  the  king  and  queen  of  Otaheite,  was  paint- 
ed, and  presented  to  him  by  the  directors.  His 
friend.  Dr.  Haweis,  one  of  the  founders,  and  a 


120  LIFE     OF 

most  zealous  promoter  of  the  institution,  com- 
plimented him  with  a  diamond  ring  of  consi- 
derable value,  accompanied  with  the  following 
note : — "  Anxious  for  your  arrival,  I  had  pre- 
pared the  following  little  token.  I  wish  to  cou- 
ple my  name  with  yours.  The  circle  is  an  em- 
blem of  the  eternity  I  hope  to  spend  with  you. 
The  brilliant  is  not  brighter  than  my  afTections, 
nor  the  gold  purer  than  my  friendship.  Wear 
me  on  your  heart ;  while  mine  beats,  it  will 
remember  you,  and  bless  God  for  you." 

A  narrative  of  the  voyage,  drawn  up  from 
their  several  journals,  under  the  superintendence 
of  a  committee  of  the  directors  appointed  for  the 
purpose,  was  immediately  published,  and  dedi- 
cated to  the  king.  To  it  was  prefixed  a  scien- 
tific discourse  on  the  geography  and  history  of 
the  South  Sea  Islands,  where  the  missionaries 
had  settled;  together  with  a  detailed  account  of 
the  natural  and  civil  state  of  Otaheite,  from  ori- 
ginal documents.  The  Society  obtained  ^2000, 
for  the  copy-right  of  this  volume;  of  which 
12,600  copies  were  printed,  of  the  first  edition. 
This  sum,  together  with  £4100,  received  from 
the  East  India  Company,  for  freight  of  teas  from 
China,  and  the  value  of  the  ship,  greatly  reduced 
the  expenses  of  the  voyage;  which,  including 
the  outfit  of  the  missionaries,  furnishing  them 
with  books  and  implements,  conveying  them  to 


CAPT.     JAMES     WILSON.  121 

their  several  destinations  over  lialf  the  globe, 
and  settling  them  comfortably  with  ample  stores 
in  the  islands,  did  not  exceed  £140,  for  each 
individual. 

After  Captain  Wilson's  return  from  the  South 
Seas,  he  resided  in  London  for  some  time;  his 
niece  having  again  resumed  the  superintendence 
of  his  domestic  concerns.  The  effects  of  a 
sedentary  life,  after  a  long  sea  voyage,  soon 
manifested  themselves  in  a  very  serious  bilious 
attack,  which  indicated  a  morbid  aflfection  of  the 
liver,  and  in  his  own  opinion  threatened  his  life. 
In  this  state  of  body,  however,  he  possessed 
great  patience  and  comfort  of  mind.  He  felt 
that  he  had  lived  to  accomplish  an  important 
object,  and  he  was  therefore  not  unwilling  to 
die;  but  He  who  had  fixed  the  bounds  of  his 
habitation,  added  nearly  twenty  years  more  to 
his  life,  though  he  was  frequently  annoyed  by 
renewed  attacks  of  the  same  disease. 

The  conspicuous  part  he  had  acted,  might, 
had  he  inclined,  have  given  him  a  commanding 
influence  among  the  religious  societies  in  Lon- 
don ;  yet  being  naturally  diffident  of  his  own 
opinion,  on  subjects  not  within  the  range  of  his 
immediate  profession;  and  perhaps  not  suffi- 
ciently inured  to  the  free  discussions  and  unre- 
strained animadversions  of  popular  meetings,  in 
this  land  of  liberty,   so   uncongenial  with  the 


122  LIFE    OF 

habits  and  manners  of  an  East  India  merchant, 
he  found  the  storms  of  protracted  debates,  a 
sphere  of  action  not  suited  to  his  talents  and 
disposition,  and  therefore  preferred  retirement 
to  the  bustle  and  business  of  official  life.  He 
was  chosen,  from  time  to  time,  on  the  direction 
of  the  affairs  of  the  Missionary  Society,  but  did 
not  make  a  point  of  attending,  unless  when  he 
thought  his  mercantile,  geographical,  or  nautical 
knowledge  could  be  turned  to  advantage ;  and 
then  he  never  withheld  his  presence  or  his  opi- 
nions, whenever  his  health  would  admit  of  his 
attendance. 

The  celebrity  he  had  acquired,  greatly  widen- 
ed the  circle  of  his  friends  and  connexions;  and 
among  other  families  of  worth  to  v/hose  acquaint- 
ance it  introduced  him,  was  that  of  Richard  Hol- 
bert,  Esq.  of  Denmark-Hill,  Camberwell ;  a  gen- 
tleman of  very  ample  fortune,  and  who  had  only 
one  child,  a  pious  and  amiable  daughter.  This 
lady  Captain  Wilson  married,  in  1799,  and  found 
in  her  to  his  latest  day,  a  most  tender  and  afTec- 
tionate  wife.  With  her  he  got  a  considerable  ad- 
dition to  his  fortune,  which  was  deemed  by  many, 
a  providential  compensation  for  the  noble  sacri- 
fice of  time  and  property  he  had  made,  in  the 
missionary  voyage. 

Circumstances    occurred,    however,    which 
taught  him  an  experimental  lesson,  on  the  muta- 


CAPT.     JAMES     WILSON.  123 

bility  and  uncertainty  of  human  possessions ; 
and  tended  to  wean  his  heart  from  placing  an 
undue  attachment  on  gifts  merely  temporal  and 
earthly.  He  had,  from  motives  of  pure  benevo- 
lence, and  a  friendly  concern  for  promoting  the 
interests  of  some  of  his  relatives,  engaged  in  mer- 
cantile life,  and  advanced,  on  various  occasions, 
to  the  amount  of  many  thousand  pounds.  These 
sums,  from  the  pecuniary  embarrassments  of 
the  times,  and  the  failures  of  the  British  mer- 
chants in  the  shipments  to  South  America,  were 
all  swallowed  up  in  adventurous  and  unsuccess- 
ful speculations. 

Though  these  losses,  on  the  whole  little  short 
of  ^£30,000,  deprived  him  of  none  of  the  com- 
forts of  life,  or  the  means  of  making  a  respect- 
able appearance  in  society ;  for,  through  the 
kindness  of  a  munificent  providence,  he  still 
possessed  sufficient  fortune  for  his  children,  in 
the  right  of  Mrs.  Wilson ;  yet  they  tried  his 
mind  in  a  very  considerable  degree,  not  only  on 
his  own  account,  but  also  on  account  of  those 
friends  and  relations  who  had  partaken  of  his 
kindness;  and  from  whom  he  now  found  him- 
self compelled,  in  a  great  measure,  to  withhold 
his  benevolence.  They  led  him  to  examine, 
and  to  know  more  thoroughly  his  own  character, 
which  he  often  lamented  he  had  not  studied 
with  sufficient  care.    They  furnished  instructive 


124  LIFE    OF 

views  of  the  dispensations  of  providence,  by 
showing  how  easily  God  can  return  to  his  peo- 
ple a  hundred- fold  in  this  life,  for  what  they  do 
for  his  cause ;  and  how  easy  it  is  for  him  to 
take  it  again,  when  he  pleases.  Few  lives  could 
have  impressed  this  truth  more  clearly  and 
forcibly  than  his,  which  was  subject  to  so  many 
changes,  disasters,  and  reverses.  "  In  how  many 
ways,  (he  observes)  has  God  taught  me  my  de- 
pendence upon  him.  All  I  possessed  was  by 
his  special  gift;  and  the  same  hand  which  had 
given,  or  rather  lent,  had  a  right  to  take  it  again. 
He  saw  this  was  the  most  effectual  way  to  hum- 
ble my  spirit,  to  wean  me  from  the  world,  and 
to  bring  me  nearer  to  himself;  and  I  trust  he 
has  done  it." 

In  these  reflections,  the  Captain  alludes  to  the 
two  points  in  his  character,  which  were  consi- 
dered by  his  friends,  as  the  most  exceptionable ; 
for  none  are  without  their  faults,  and  to  have  de- 
scribed him  as  such,  would,  in  the  esteem  of  all 
that  know  human  nature,  even  in  its  most  im- 
proved state,  have  tended  to  discredit  the  whole 
account.  His  temper  was  naturally  reserved,  and 
though  softened  and  rendered  affable  by  divine 
grace,  yet  at  times  it  partook  of  something  bor- 
dering on  hauteur.  Of  this  he  was  himself 
sensible,  and  it  was  to  him  the  cause  of  much 
sorrow  and  regret.     This,  however,  was  sub- 


CAPT.     JAMES     WILSON.  125 

dued,  and  more  than  counter-balanced  by  his 
noble  feelings  of  kindness  and  generosity. 

Another  shade,  which  his  friends  alleged  to 
mingle  with  the  general  excellence  of  his  cha- 
racter, was  a  little  too  much  attachment  to  the 
wealth  of  this  world ;  and  a  want  of  a  sufficient 
sense  of  his  obligation  to  God,  by  not  devoting 
a  larger  proportion  of  his  properly  to  the  sup- 
port of  religion.  It  is  a  question  of  conscience, 
perhaps  not  very  easily  determined,  what  is  the 
exact  portion  of  their  income,  which  the  richer 
members  of  the  church  of  Christ  ought  to  appro- 
priate to  the  cause  of  religion,  or  of  charity. 
There  is  no  fixed  rule  that  can  hold  universally, 
or  even  individually ;  the  liberality  of  the  weal- 
thier classes,  in  the  cause  of  God,  must  very 
often  be  regulated  by  the  importance  of  the  ob- 
ject, or  the  particular  exigency  of  the  occasion. 
Captain  Wilson  was  guided  very  much  by  this 
principle.  He  did  not  circumscribe  his  benevo- 
lence within  the  limits  of  stated  rules,  or  me- 
thodical calculations ;  but  left  his  benefactions 
to  depend  principally  upon  the  number,  or  the 
nature  of  the  demands  made  upon  him. 

The  charge  of  penuiiousness,  however,  can 
hardly  with  propriety  be  alleged  against  him, 
when  it  is  considered  that  he  had  lost  to  a  con- 
siderable amount,  by  the  adventurous  specula- 
tions of  others — that  he  had  a  young  family  to 
12 


126  LIFE    OF 

provide  for — and  that  from  the  general  report 
of  his  possessing  a  very  large  fortune  the  friends 
of  religion  were  led  to  form  loo  sanguine  hopes, 
and  to  expect  from  him  donations  or  annuities 
for  pious  purposes,  corresponding  in  some  mea- 
sure with  his  riches,  and  his  former  distinguish- 
ed zeal  in  the  service.  The  calamity  above 
referred  to,  greatly  abridged  his  resources  ;  and 
prevented  him  at  his  death  from  leaving  any 
bequest,  as  a  token  of  his  concern  for  that  So- 
ciety and  cause,  to  which  he  had  contributed  so 
much  by  his  personal  exertions.  Had  the  com- 
mercial enterprise,  in  which  so  large  a  share  of 
his  fortune  was  embarked,  been  successful,  there 
seems  no  reason  to  doubt  that  his  liberality 
would  have  kept  pace  with  his  zeal,  and  that 
the  Missionary  cause  would  have  had  to  enroll 
his  name  among  the  number  of  its  testamentary 
benefactors. 

His  family  afflictions,  and  frequent  personal 
indispositions,  produced  retired  and  domestic 
habits;  and  though  he  was  not  prominent  in 
any  of  the  associations  in  the  metropolis,  for 
general  usefulness,  yet  he  improved  his  retire- 
ment to  the  benefit  of  his  personal  religion.  His 
reading  did  not  partake  of  an  extensive  range  of 
subjects,  but  it  was  well  employed  on  those  of 
theology;  he  not  only  read,  but  studied  the 
Scriptures.     The  word  of  God  was  his  com- 


CAPT.    JAMES    WILSON.  127 

panion.  Part  of  the  day  he  employed  in  com- 
mitting certain  portions  of  it  to  memory,  and 
another  part  to  a  repetition  of  them,  as  he  walked 
or  rode  to  town,  or  occupied  himself  in  his  gar- 
den. He  had  in  this  manner  learned  to  repeat, 
with  perfect  accuracy,  a  great  part  of  the  Psalms 
of  David — many  chapters  of  the  prophecies,  and 
of  the  gospels — and  several  entire  epistles  of  the 
New  Testament.  The  account  he  gives  of  this 
extraordinary  practice  is :  That  when  he  had 
arrived  at  the  age  of  forty-six,  and  had  begun  to 
experience  a  failure  of  sight,  the  idea  struck 
him,  that  he  might  perhaps  become  wholly  un- 
able to  read  the  sacred  volume.  Under  this  im- 
pression, he  set  himself  to  learn  by  heart  whole 
chapters,  and  even  books ;  which  he  rehearsed 
in  his  solitude,  whether  at  home  or  abroad,  in 
set  portions  every  day.  In  course  of  a  week, 
he  would  repeat  all  he  had  learned ;  and  by  this 
means  he  retained  what  he  had  previously  ac- 
quired, and  still  continued  adding  something  to 
the  store.  The  pleasure  and  advantage  of  this, 
he  felt  when  laid  on  a  sick-bed ;  and  when  in- 
eapable  of  reading,  he  drew  from  those  sacred 
treasures  an  inexhaustible  fund  of  consolation. 

By  this  means  he  obtained  a  most  familiar 
acquaintance  with  Scripture,  and  a  great  rich- 
ness in  experimental  religion.  His  conversation 
with  his  intimate  friends,  was  highly  instructive 


128  LIFE     OF 

and  animating.  His  religious  feelings  were 
kept  so  much  alive  by  this  profitable  train  of 
meditation,  and  frequent  prayer,  that  he  felt 
considerable  reluctance  to  company  ;  as  he  was 
often  disappointed  in  not  meeting  with  a  corres- 
pondent disposition  in  others,  to  converse  on 
spiritual  subjects. 

Towards  the  close  of  1813,  his  health  had 
begun  visibly  to  sufler  by  the  encroachments  of 
an  internal  distemper.  No  very  alarming  symp- 
toms, however,  at  first  appeared  ;  but,  as  weeks 
and  months  revolved,  it  was  impossible  not  to 
observe  the  change  which  increasing  disease  had 
made  on  his  frame  and  appearance.  In  the 
month  of  February,  he  was  unable  to  appear  in 
his  usual  manner,  as  a  worshipper  in  the  sanc- 
tuary of  God.  He  had  cherished  a  steady  at- 
tachment to  the  ordinances  of  religion,  and  his 
punctual  attendance  at  divine  worship,  as  well 
as  his  humble,  unassuming  deportment  there, 
were  attested  by  all  who  knew  him.  This  in- 
capacity, and  unavoidable  detention  from  the 
courts  of  Zion,  were  to  him  the  subject  of  much 
uneasiness  and  regret. 

His  aspect  was  such  as  to  excite  the  regret  and 
apprehension  of  all  his  friends,  and  he  even  then 
entertained  some  thoughts  that  his  sickness  would 
probably  be  unto  death.  Under  this  impression, 
he  made  the  following  observation — "  I  would  as 


CAPT.     JAMES     WILSON.  129 

soon  die  now,  as  at  any  time,  if  it  were  not  on 
account  of  these  ties,  (alluding  to  his  endeared 
wife  and  his  little  children,)  but  the  Lord  is  all- 
sufficient  ;  I  can  trust  them  in  the  hands  of  that 
God  who  has  been  my  God."  The  first  Sab- 
bath in  .January,  1814,  was  the  last  in  which  he 
officiated  at  the  table  of  the  Lord,  in  distributing 
the  elements  of  bread  and  wine,  and  the  last  but 
one  (I  believe  in  the  month  of  February,)  in 
which  he  appeared  as  a  worshipper  in  the  sanc- 
tuary of  God.  He  used  to  express  much  regret 
at  this  unavoidable  detention  from  our  public  as- 
semblies, saying,  "  When  shall  1  come  and  ap- 
pear before  God  ?"  and  in  the  language  of  He- 
zekiah,  "  What  is  the  sign  that  I  shall  go  up  to 
the  house  of  the  Lord?"  a  commendable  feeling 
this  in  the  chamber  of  sickness,  and  very  unlike 
the  temper  of  some  professing  Christians,  who 
pant  more  ardently  for  a  return  to  the  places  of 
busy  traffic  and  mercantile  concourse,  and  are 
sooner  seen  there  on  recovery,  than  for  the 
courts  of  Jehovah — the  palaces  of  Zion. 

It  pleased  God  to  exempt  our  departed  bro- 
ther from  acute  pain,  of  which  he  had  only  two 
severe  paroxysms  during  his  long  protracted 
illness.  This  alleviating  circumstance,  enabled 
him  to  employ  his  leisure  hours  in  those 
thoughts  and  exercises  of  mind,  which  were 
suited  to  the  dispensation  under  which  he  was 
12* 


130  LIFE     OF 

placed,  and  to  the  prospects  which  were  opening 
before  him,  in  unparalleled  grandeur  and  awful 
solemnity.  As  1  was  a  near  observer  of  the 
operations  of  his  mind,  at  this  critical  juncture, 
I  shall  record  them  as  they  offered  themselves 
to  my  notice.  I  marked  in  the  first  place,  a 
deep  and  anxious  investigation  into  the  state  of 
his  soul.  He  debated  the  matter  of  his  personal 
religion,  as  in  the  light  and  under  the  immediate 
eye  of  God.  Considering  the  ease  with  which 
a  man  may  deceive  himself,  and  impose  upon 
others  by  an  empty  and  unprofitable  form  of 
godliness,  he  was  desirous  of  availing  himself 
of  every  assistance  in  ascertaining  the  truth  of 
his  condition.  He  felt  perplexed  on  the  ground 
of  indwelling  sin,  and  for  the  sake  of  obtaining 
clear  views  and  refreshing  his  recollections  on 
this  important  point,  he  read  Dr.  Owen's  mas- 
terly treatise  on  the  subject.  On  one  occasion, 
he  told  me,  he  had  been  seriously  engaged  in 
examining  the  grounds  and  evidences  of  his  own 
conversion,  fearing  lest  he  should  take  too  much 
for  granted,  or  regard  a  change  of  sentiment  and 
a  reformation  of  manners  as  conversion,  without 
the  inbeing  of  that  spiritual  life  and  those  con- 
comitant fruits  of  the  Spirit,  which  the  Scrip- 
tures represent  as  indispensably  necessary.  He 
dwelt  much  on  this  theme,  and  we  concluded 
with  prayer  for  light,  sincerity,  and  satisfaction. 


CAPT.     JAMES     WILSON.  131 

Having  attained  to  some  good  degree  of  certain- 
ty on  this  momentous  point,  he  enjoyed  a  stable 
peace,  by  faith  in  the  atonement  and  righteousness 
of  Jesus  Christ,  and  never  afterwards  betrayed 
even  a  momentary  disquietude  or  alarm,  at  the 
prospect  or  consequences  of  his  approaching 
dissolution.  He  had  been  generally  accustomed 
to  repeat  those  lines  of  Dr.  Haweis  at  the  end  of 
every  day: 

"  One  day  more  is  past. 

And  the  nearer  my  last, 
To  the  close  of  my  life  and  my  labours  I  haste. 

My  strength  as  my  day] 

Renewed — I  stay 
On  Jesus  my  hope,  and  still  hold  on  my  way." 

and  was  wont  to  add,  with  peculiar  emphasis 
and  delight — 

"  And  when  my  work  done. 
My  full  course  I  have  run, 

And  my  pilgrimage  finished  under  the  sun, 
To  heav'n  I  shall  soar. 
Where  the  night  is  no  more. 

And  awake  to  thy  praise,  thee  ever  t'  adore." 

Habituated  thus  familiarly  to  converse  with 
death,  he  was  not  in  the  least  degree  dismayed 
by  its  nearer  approaches.  To  his  medical 
friend,  and  to  those  who  occasional!)^  visited 
him,  he  would  talk  with  as  much  calmness  of 
his  departure  from  the  world,  as  of  any  trans- 
action to  which  he  had  been  accustomed  while 
in  it.     On  one  occasion  he  quoted  with  evident 


132  LIFE    OF 

pleasure  the  lines  of  that  experimental  author 
named  above,  as  applicable  to  his  own  case : 

"  Safe  lodg'd  my  fruits,  at  even  tide  I  rest ; 
My  work  near  done,  I  lean  on  Jesus'  breast. 
Wait,  without  fear,  death's  winter  drawing  nigh^ 
Preparing  for  my  mansion  in  the  sky." 

His,  indeed,  was  a  strong  and  unwavering  faith, 
which  swallowed  up  every  fear,  and  enabled 
him  to  look  at  death  not  only  without  dread  but 
with  joy  and  triumph.  The  exercise  of  this 
holy  principle,  moreover,  was  not  restricted  to 
the  concerns  of  his  soul,  which  he  had  commit- 
ted into  the  hands  of  the  Redeemer,  but  extend- 
ed also  to  those  of  his  family.  He  was  the 
subject  of  warm  affections,  and  as  a  kind  hus- 
band and  a  fond  father,  his  little  ones  were 
closely  entwined  about  his  heart ;  yet,  through 
a  fiducial  reliance  on  the  divine  Providence,  he 
was  enabled  to  divest  himself  of  all  the  tender 
anxieties  of  a  relative  life,  and  to  cast  them  on 
his  God  and  Saviour.  The  struggle  was  pain- 
ful, but  faith  was  completely  victorious.  He 
would  pray  earnestly  for  his  dear  children,  and 
express  a  strong  desire  that  they  might  be  trained 
up  in  scriptural  sentiments,  and  thus  be  brought 
to  the  knowledge  of  Christ — but  it  was  evident 
that  he  had  no  disquieting  care  concerning  them, 
and  no  prevailing  wish  to  continue  with  them. 
The  cords  of  earthly  attachment  were  all  loosea- 


CAPT.     JAMES     WILSON.  133 

ed,  and  the  willing  spirit  waited  without  pertur- 
bation, the  signal  for  its  flight. 

Exemplary  patience  was  a  distinguishing  fea- 
ture in  the  character  of  this  dying  believer. 
Though  made  to  possess  months  of  vanity,  and 
though  many  wearisome  nights  were  appointed 
unto  him,  not  a  murmuring  word  was  heard  to 
escape  his  lips.  He  justified  the  sovereign  dis- 
poser of  events  in  his  dealings  towards  him,  and 
was  rather  inclined  to  enlarge  on  the  subject  of 
his  mercies  than  his  afflictions.  Charily,  also, 
to  his  fellow-creatures  was  manifesdy  apparent 
in  his  last  hours.  He  declared  his  forgiveness 
of  those  who  had  injured  him,  and  testified  his 
good  will  towards  them  by  offering  up  prayers 
on  their  behalf.  In  this  state  of  readiness  for 
the  hour  of  his  departure,  he  seemed  consider- 
ably disappointed  when  the  morning  light  re- 
turned and  beheld  him  still  in  this  vale  of  tears, 
and  especially  when  the  revolving  Sabbath  w^it- 
nessed  those  conflicts  on  earth  which  he  longed 
to  exchange  for  the  rest  and  the  triwnph  of  hea- 
ven. Surveying  the  wastes  of  disease,  in  his 
emaciated  frame,  he  exclaimed,  "  What  a  diflfer- 
ent  body  will  this  be  in  the  morning  of  the  re- 
surrection, if  I  am  found  in  Christ!  1  hope  I 
shall  be  enabled  to  wait  with  patience  till  my 
change  come.  I  am  not  afraid  to  trust  my  all 
in  the  hands  of  the  despised  Nazarene  !"     To  a 


134  LIFE     OF 

relation  who  said,  "I  hope  you  will  get  better," 
he  replied,  "  my  hope  is  beyond  Jordan!"  At 
one  time  he  repeated  these  lines  as  applicable  to 
his  own  case — 

"  Triumphant  now  from  sin  and  death. 
From  law  and  curse  secure ; 
Peaceful  I  yield  my  parting  breath. 
And  know  my  heaven  is  sure." 

On  the  return  of  his  pastor  from  an  excursion 
in  the  country,  of  whom  he  had  already  taken 
a  solemn,  affectionate,  and,  as  it  was  judged,  a 
last  farewell,  he  expressed  great  surprise  that 
we  had  met  again  in  the  body,  "  I  had  hoped," 
said  he,  "  to  have  obtained  my  release  ere  this, 
but  the  messenger  still  delays.  I  desire  to  say, 
the  will  of  the  Lord  be  done — but  I  request  you 
will  pray  for  a  speedy  dismission."  His  nights, 
which  for  the  most  part,  were  sleepless,  he 
passed  in  prayer,  and  in  the  recollection  of  those 
passages  of  Scripture  which  were  familiar  to  his 
mind.  And  it  is  here  especially  worthy  of  ob- 
servation that  he  derived  the  utmost  solace  and 
refreshment  from  the  many  portions  of  sacred 
writ  which  he  had  committed  to  memory  in  the 
last  years  of  his  life.  The  word  of  Christ 
dwelt  in  him  richly,  and  as  he  delighted  much 
in  the  law  of  the  liOrd,  so  he  meditated  therein, 
day  and  night. 

From  a  personal  experience  of  the  benefit  ac- 


CAPT.     JAMES     WILSON.  135 

cruing  from  such  a  familiar  acquaintance  with 
the  Bible,  he  enjoined  it  upon  his  dear  children, 
and  recommended  to  his  young  friends  in  gene- 
ral, to  copy  his  example  in  this  respect,  only  to 
begin  much  earlier  than  he  did.  After  express- 
ing his  kind  wishes  for  a  young  gentleman  for 
whom  he  entertained  a  great  esteem,  he  sent 
this  message  to  him  by  a  mutual  friend,  who 
was  about  to  visit  him  in  a  remote  part  of  the 
country,  "  Charge  him  to  store  his  memory 
with  the  Scriptures,  to  begin  immediately,  for 
now  is  the  time  to  set  about  it.  Had  I  begun  at 
his  age,  I  should  now  have  been  able  to  recite 
that  blessed  book  from  beginning  to  end."  It 
is  believed  this  message  from  the  lips  of  a  dying 
Christian  had  its  full  weight ;  and  has  led  to  the 
adoption  of  the  salutary  practice  it  was  intend- 
ed to  recommend.  In  one  of  those  nights  which 
he  passed  without  sleep,  he  informed  an  old  friend 
who  kept  watch  at  his  bed-side,  that  he  had  re- 
peated the  Epistle  to  the  Hebrews,  from  the 
first  to  the  eleventh  chapter  inclusive;  and  he 
believed,  without  the  omission  of  a  single  verse. 
To  one  of  his  children,  the  Sabbath  before  his 
departure,  he  said,  with  a  firm  tone,  "  My  dear 
child,  I  thought  I  should  not  have  seen  you 
again,  I  expected  this  would  have  been  the  first 
Sabbath  I  should  have  spent  in  eternity,  but 
God's  time  is  best."     On  one  of  his  friends  in- 


136  LIFE     OF 

quiring  if  he  were  comfortable,  he  replied, 
*'  Yes,  and  if  I  had  but  my  tongue,"  (his  mouth 
being  in  such  a  state  as  to  render  speaking  ex- 
quisitely painful,)  "I  would  let  you  all  know 
how  happy  I  am ;  I  am  looking  for  that  blessed 
hope  and  the  glorious  appearing  of  the  great 
God  my  Saviour."  At  one  season  he  observed, 
*'  Here  I  am,  waiting  for  my  change — what  a 
mercy !  If  I  were  a  heathen  I  could  not  wait 
so."  To  his  medical  attendant,  who,  aware  of 
his  unconquerable  aversion  to  medicine,  had, 
with  much  kindness,  administered  as  little  as 
the  case  w'ould  admit,  he  said,  "  I  cannot  take 
any  more,  let  me  go  as  easily  as  you  can;"  and 
then,  lifting  up  his  eyes  to  heaven,  added, 
'•  Lord,  now  iettest  thou  thy  servant  depart  in 
peace,  for  I  trust  mine  eyes  have  seen  thy  sal- 
vation." Not  long  before  his  dismission,  he 
used  the  following  verses,  with  a  reference  to 
his  own  circumstances — 

"  My  fluttering  pulse,  and  falt'ring  breath, 
Announce  the  near  approach  of  death  ; 
How  can  I  meet,  dear  Saviour,  say, 
Tlie  last  dark,  dismal,  cloudiest  day. 

Look  to  my  cross,  the  sovereign  cure. 
For  all  the  ills  thou  can'sl  endure  ; 
Whence  dart  the  heams  of  endless  day, 
And  clouds  and  darkness  flee  away." 

He  was  blessed  with  the  continuance  of  his 
intellectual  faculties    till   within   two   or   three 


CAPT.     JAMES     WILSON.  137 

hours  of  his  dissolution,  when  the  powers  of 
nature  being  completely  exhausted,  the  unfetter- 
ed spirit  was  allowed  to  take  its  joyful  flight 
to  that  blissful  region,  where  the  inhabitant  saith 
not,  "  I  am  sick,"  the  people  that  dwell  therein 
having  been  forgiven  their  iniquities.  Con- 
templating his  undisturbed  and  tranquil  exit,  we 
may  truly  and  emphatically  say,  "  the  end  of 
that  man  was  peace." 

Thus  terminated  the  life  of  Captain  Wilson, 
on  Friday,  August  12,  1814,  at  the  age  of  fifty- 
four,  leaving  a  widow,  a  son,  and  four  daugh- 
ters, to  lament  their  loss.  Since  his  death,  Mrs. 
Wilson  has  been  bereaved  of  her  second  daugh- 
ter about  eleven  years  of  age,  who  gave  pleas- 
ing testimony  that  she  was  graciously  fitted  to 
meet  the  blessed  spirit  of  her  father  in  the 
realms  of  eternal  light  and  felicity. 

The  life  and  death  of  Captain  Wilson  furnish 
to  every  serious  mind,  matter  for  much  profita- 
ble reflection.  The  whole  of  his  eventful  his- 
tory, discovers  a  beautiful  and  interesting  devel- 
opment of  the  procedure  of  Divine  Providence ; 
which  appears  mysterious,  yet  wise  in  its  ope- 
rations— often  afflictive  in  its  events,  yet  kind 
in  its  designs — the  minutest  parts  accurately 
arranged,  and  all,  like  the  seasons  of  the  year, 
terminating  in  some  grand  and  beneficial  result. 
The  storms  of  commercial  life,  the  tranquillity 
13 


138        LIFE   OF    CAPT.    JAMES     WILSON. 

of  domestic  retirement,  the  blasts  of  temporal 
adversity,  the  beams  of  prosperity,  religious 
friendships,  and  family  afflictions,  all  concurred 
in  fitting  him  to  be  an  instrument  of  good,  or  in 
promoting  his  final  and  everlasting  welfare. 
Who  would  have  looked,  as  Dr.  Haweis  says, 
for  a  convert  in  a  haughty  unprincipled  Indian 
merchant;  or  for  the  commander  of  a  Christian 
mission,  in  an  infidel  sailor  chained  in  a  prison 
at  Seringapatam?  Who  would  expect  the  Deist, 
who  returned  from  India  contradicting  the  faith 
of  Christ,  and  blaspheming  the  cause  of  the 
cross,  within  five  years  afterwards  on  the  quar- 
ter-deck, in  the  midst  of  prayer  and  praise, 
carrying  the  everlasting  Gospel  to  the  Isles  of 
the  Pacific  Ocean  ?  Yet  such  are  the  mysteri- 
ous ways  of  Providence,  such  the  irresistible 
influence  of  truth,  and  such  the  power  and  effi- 
cacy of  Christian  principles. 


THE    END* 


PRESBYTERIAN    PUBLICATIONS. 


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viz. : 

1.  The  Way  of  Salvation,  familiarly  ex- 
plained, in  a  Conversation  between  a  Father  and 
his  Children.     Price  15  cents. 

2.  The  Mute  Christian  under  the  Smarting 
Rod ;  with  sovereign  antidotes  for  every  case. 
By  Rev.  Thomas  Brooks.    Price  37^  cents. 

3.  The  Great  Concern  of  Salvation.  By 
Rev.  Thomas  Halyburton.  Abridged  for  the 
Board.     Price  31  cents. 

4.  Christian  Consistency,  or  the  connex- 
ion between  Experimental  and  Practical  Reli- 
gion. Designed  for  young  Christians.  By  Rev. 
E.  Mannering.     Price  37^  cents. 

5.  Self  Employment  in  Secret,  containing 
an  Inquiry  into  the  state  of  the  Soul ;  Thoughts 


upon  Painful  Afflictions;  Memorials  for  practice. 
By  Rev.  John  Corbet.     Price  20  cents. 

6.  A  Treatise  on  the  Scripture  Doctrine 
OF  Original  Sin.  With  explanatory  notes. 
By  Rev.  H.  A.  Boardman.     Price  25  cents. 

7.  The  Pleasures  of  Religion,  by  the  Rev. 
Henry  Forster  Burder,  D.  D.     Price  37^  cents. 

8.  The  Revocation  of  the  Edict  of 
Nantes,  and  its  consequences  to  the  Protestant 
Churches  of  France  and  Italy ;  containing  Me- 
moirs of  some  of  the  sufferers  in  the  Persecution 
attending  that  event.     Price  31  cents. 

9.  The  Utility  and  Importance  of  Creeds 
AND  Confessions  ;  by  the  Rev.  Samuel  Miller, 
D.D.     Price  25  cents. 

10.  The  Psalms  and  Hymns  approved  by  the 
General  Assembly  of  the  Presbyterian  Church, 
in  the  United  States.  Several  different  sizes, 
and  in  a  variety  of  fancy  and  plain  bindings. 

11.  An  Exposition  of  a  portion  of  the 
Epistle  to  the  Romans,  in  the  form  of  Ques- 
tions and  Answers ;  by  the  Rev.  J.  J.  Jane- 
way,  D.D.     Price  15  cents. 

12.  The  Life  of  Captain  James  Wilson, 
Containing  an  account  of  his  residence  in  India  ; 
his  Conversion  to  Christianity;  his  Missionary 
Voyage  to  the  South  Seas,  and  his  Peaceful 
Death.  Abridged,  from  the  Memoir  by  Rev. 
John  Griffin. 

13.  The  Life  of  John  Knox,  the  Scottish 


Reformer.      Abridged  from    McCrie's  Life   of 
John  Knox. 

IN    PRESS. 

1.  A  new  Stereotype  edition  of  the  Consti- 
tution OF  THE  Presbyterian  Church  in  the 
United  States  of  America  :  containing  the 
Confession  of  Faith,  the  Catechisms,  and  the 
Directory  for  the  Worship  of  God ;  together  with 
the  Plan  of  Government  and  Discipline,  as 
amended  and  ratified  by  the  General  Assembly. 

2.  Letters  to  an  Anxious  Inquirer.  By 
the  late  Rev.  T.  Carlton  Henry,  D.  D. 

3.  The  Reformed  Pastor.  By  the  late 
Rev.  Richard  Baxter. 

Besides  the  Books,  twenty-one  Tracts  have 
been  published  ;  the  smallest  consisting  of  12 
pages,  and  the  largest  of  130  pages.  Of  these 
various  editions  have  been  issued.  Nine  of 
these  are  also  published  in  a  12mo  volume. 
Price  50  cents. 


OO"  Orders  for  Books  or  Tracts,  from  Pres- 
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